Stargate Atlantis: Sacred Woman
by dhaken666
Summary: When John Sheppard woke up that morning, he expected a typical day on Atlantis. Dealing with Wraith, or oddities that were part of the job description when you worked with the SGC. When he and Rodney discover an obelisk that gives him a complete makeover, he knows that won't be the case. A not-so-typical gender swap story.
1. Chapter 1

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Elizabeth Weir said to her Head of Military and Chief Scientist as they walked to the control room.

"Rodney and I can handle this on our own," John protested, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Rodney nodded excitedly. "There's an EM field surrounding the planet, so it's not like the Wraith can get us. It's a lot like M7G-677."

"The planet with the kids?" Elizabeth asked, turning her attention to Rodney.

"Yeah, that one. It's completely safe.

Elizabeth frowned.

"It's a simple recon mission, Elizabeth," prodded John, trying to sway her opinion.

"I don't feel comfortable sending in a two man team," she told the men. "Just wait until Ronon and Teyla get back from their trading mission."

"But the anomalous readings might be gone by then!" Rodney complained.

Elizabeth stopped abruptly, crossing her arms. "How could the MALP pick up any readings when there is an EM field?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the astrophysicist.

Rodney frowned. "That's why they're anomalous. Elizabeth, we have to check it out!"

Sighing, Elizabeth continued to the control room. Having these two hounding her was like taking two little boys into a toy store.

"Well?" prompted John, raising his eyebrows.

Accepting a tablet from one of the technicians, Elizabeth didn't answer immediately. She found it amusing when Rodney was really excited about something. At the moment he looked like he was trying hard not to jump up and down. Smiling inwardly, she moved into her office, John and Rodney on her heels. When she sat down, John perched on the edge of her desk and Rodney fidgeted in front of her.

Fixing her best poker face in place, she finally answered. "Fine."

"Excellent! I'm going to go get my stuff," Rodney said, leaving her office with a grin on his face.

"Why are you even interested?" Elizabeth asked her Head of Military, clasping her hands together on her desk in front of her.

John grinned down at her. "Rodney promised that if I helped persuade you to let us go, he would give me his dessert ration for a week."

The infectious grin spread over Elizabeth's features as well. "Ah. Well, just make sure Rodney doesn't get himself electrocuted. We'd never hear the end of it. And if there are any signs of danger…"

"Yeah, yeah. Get our asses back to the 'gate." John stood, smiled at Elizabeth and followed after Rodney to get his gear.

The MALP, before abruptly loosing signal, had said that this planet was hot, so John decided to go without his jacket, slipping his TAC vest over his tee-shirt. He quickly fastened his side arm to his leg and grabbed up his P-90 and some extra ammo, just in case, before heading out to the gate room. On his way down the hall, he ran into Rodney, who was carrying a large pack.

"Are any of those computers even going to work?" he asked, eyeing up the cumbersome load.

"They will after I shut down the EM field," replied Rodney, grinning.

John rolled his eyes, pulling out a pair of dark sunglasses and slipping them on. "You do know you're gonna have to carry that, right? We can't take the Jumper…"

"Believe it or not, I did take that into account. Can we just go now?" grumbled Rodney, hefting his pack.

John nodded up at the technician to dial the 'gate. They watched the _ka-whoosh_ explode forward from the naquahdah ring of the Stargate and settle into place like a glimmering vertical pool.

"John," Elizabeth called from the balcony just before they stepped into the Event Horizon.

Rodney sighed impatiently as they looked up at their leader.

"Yo."

"Be careful."

John nodded, turning back to the 'gate. He paused briefly, looking at the bright blue wall of plasma before stepping through.

After being demolecularized and put back together, John and Rodney emerged from the 'gate on M8G-921.

"Looks like British Columbia," commented Rodney, looking around. "Except the extra sun, of course. I should have brought sunscreen. The UV index must be through the roof. I'm going to burn so badly."

John looked around at all of the mountains and trees before turning his gaze on Rodney. "Don't you have something to do? I don't want to be here any longer than we have to be."

"Mm. Yes. Right, of course." Rodney pulled a tablet from his pack and took readings. John noticed it was working perfectly fine.

"Why isn't that thing dead?" he asked, peering over Rodney's shoulder.

"Whatever is emitting the EM field doesn't extend all the way to the 'gate. That's how we got MALP telemetry in the first place," Rodney answered, looking over at where said MALP had moved to avoid the _ka-whoosh_.

John nodded and looked around for the DHD. It was sitting about thirty feet away in the grass. That was usually something he never had to concern himself with because the Jumpers had built in dial home devices.

As he looked around, John felt an odd sensation on the back of his neck, telling him something was strange about this place. With so many trees, there were too many places to hide. Just because there weren't any Wraith, didn't mean there weren't hostile villagers hanging about.

After studying his tablet for a few minutes, Rodney pointed off in the rough direction of north east. "That way. There's definitely something over there," he said, safely stowing the tablet back in his pack.

"How far?" asked John as they started walking through the open clearing in which the 'gate sat.

"Not sure. The EM field was messing with the equipment. It seems to correspond with the tree line," Rodney answered, as always, providing more information than was relevant to such a simple question.

John just nodded and continued to walk in the direction that Rodney had pointed. He kept a tight grip on his weapon as they entered the forest. He paid close attention to every small sound in the area. Every snapping twig, every bird call.

There must have been a lot of rain on this planet, because the forest was so humid. With the humidity and the duel suns, John was sweating profusely in no time. And Rodney was complaining loudly.

"This heat is ridiculous! How anything can grow-" he trailed off, his eyes spotting something through the trees.

John saw his line of sight, but couldn't quite make out what he was looking at. "What?"

"That, over there." Rodney pointed through the trees.

John spotted it instantly. In a clearing stood a tall, cylindrical structure made of something silver and shiny. He couldn't say steel, because he wasn't really sure if this galaxy actually had steel. "Do you think that's what's causing the readings?" he asked as they headed toward the clearing.

"I'm positive. And if it still works through the EM field, it might be powered by a ZedPM," Rodney answered, having to pick up his pace to keep up with John's stride.

As they entered the clearing, John looked up at the obelisk-like structure. "This thing's as tall as the 'gate," he observed, letting out a slow whistle.

"I'd say taller," Rodney replied, dumping his pack on the ground and running his hands over the smooth surface of the structure.

As Rodney was busy having a science-gasm, John was looking over the structure. Despite its height, it wasn't very thick. He could probably almost wrap his arms around it. The entire surface, except for a small screen in the backside, was smooth and polished. Along with the screen, there was a panel set into the ground, in which Rodney was already elbow-deep.

"So…any ideas?" John asked, his eyes constantly scanning the area.

Rodney sat up and glared at John. "I've been working on this for two minutes, so no. No ideas yet," he grumbled before diving back into the open panel.

John shook his head and caught a glimpse of crystals where Rodney was working. "Ancient?" he now asked.

"I don't know yet!" came the muffled response.

John decided to give up on the question asking for now and turn his attention to the little screen. It was on the opposite side to which Rodney was working and at about shoulder height. The screen was blank until John faced it, then it lit up with scrolling columns of unfamiliar symbols. "This doesn't look like Ancient," he mumbled to himself.

Rodney must have heard him because he was beside John instantly. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"Nothing."

"Alright then, what did you touch?" Rodney demanded.

"I didn't touch anything! I walked up to it, that's all!" protested John.

Rodney shoved him out of the way and stood in front of the screen, studying the symbols. A deep frown creased his brow.

"Well?"

"I've never seen these symbols before. They definitely aren't Ancient. They could be the language of the people that live on this planet, if there are any…"

"Well, if you can't understand it, there really isn't anything else you can do here. Let's get back to Atlantis and-" John was cut off by an electric hum. "What the hell is that?" he asked as Rodney got back on his knees to start moving crystals around inside the panel.

"Give me a minute."

"I don't think we have that long!" John growled through clenched teeth. The hum was rising steadily, quickly becoming deafening.

"It won't shut down!" Rodney shouted over the noise. It was well known that Rodney's ability to overcome impending disaster was directly related to his level of panic, and at the moment, his level of panic was rising.

"What do you mean, it won't shut down?" John demanded, watching as the whole structure began to vibrate.

"We gotta go!"

John yanked Rodney up by his TAC vest, grabbed his pack and started back in the direction of the 'gate. The humming continued to get louder even though they were getting further away.

"Rodney! Dial home!" John shouted when the DHD came into view. Rodney didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the device and began slapping the symbols for Atlantis.

"Now would be good, Rodney!"

"No, really? I was-" The rest of his retort was cut off when he looked over his shoulder and saw a dome of blue-white light extending from the top of the odd silver tower.

"Rodney!" John growled harshly, looking between the scientist and the growing dome of light.

"Crap." Turning back to the DHD, Rodney smacked the last symbol and the wormhole erupted from the stargate.

"Go, go, go!" urged John, grabbing Rodney's collar and pulling him toward the 'gate. They were almost there when John was blinded. He could hear Rodney next to him and felt a rush of air past his face as the ground came up to meet him. A burning-cold sensation overwhelmed his entire body seconds before everything around him vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

"Incoming wormhole!" one of the 'gate technicians called, just as Elizabeth came out of her office.

"IDC?" she asked, standing behind the man and looking down at the 'gate.

"Teyla," he answered, looking up at her.

Elizabeth nodded at him to lower the force shield and turned her gaze to the 'gate. A few seconds passed and Teyla and Ronon stepped through.

"Welcome back. How did everything go?" she asked, walking down the steps to greet the Athosian and Satedan.

"Fine, thank you." Teyla smiled back. "How was everything here?"

"Delightfully uneventful. Other than the fact that John and Rodney insisted on going off-world by themselves," Elizabeth replied with a frown.

"Where?" growled Ronon, glaring down at Elizabeth. Next to Teyla, who was petite and delicate, Ronon looked even more intimidating than usual. Elizabeth still wasn't used to him.

"M8G-921."

"That was the planet with the strange readings, was it not?" Teyla asked, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Yes, it was. I know you just got b-"

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" called the technician as the wormhole exploded from the ring. "We're picking up a high energy reading."

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked him as he came up the steps, followed by Ronon and Teyla.

"I'm not sure, ma'am. It was there for a few seconds, but it disappeared," the tech answered, looking up as the wormhole closed.

"Was it Colonel Sheppard, perhaps?" asked Teyla, looking worried.

"We didn't receive an IDC…" the tech replied.

"Dial the planet, I'm going after them," Ronon told the technician, pulling his pistol from its holster and switching the setting to 'kill'.

Elizabeth nodded at the confused-looking man, giving him permission to proceed. "I was just going to ask you to go after them. I want you to take Major Lorne's team as well, just in case."

"We will bring them back safely," Teyla told Elizabeth before turning back to the 'gate. She heard the woman call Major Lorne on the radio as she caught up to Ronon. Putting her hand on his arm, she told him to wait until the others arrived, which wasn't very long.

"We were on standby, just in case," Lorne told Teyla as he and his team arrived in the 'gate room a few minutes later.

Ronon wasted no time stepping into the event horizon, followed by Teyla and the others.

~oOo~

_What the hell just happened?_ Rodney asked himself as he lie in the grass. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he could hear people walking around his head and talking quietly.

"Where's Sheppard?" came the familiar growl of Ronon Dex as Rodney cracked his eyes open.

Shielding his eyes from the bright sun light, Rodney hefted himself into a sitting position. "What?" he managed to choke out before a wave of dizziness overtook him.

"Where's. Sheppard," Ronon growled again, now putting a ham-sized hand on Rodney's shoulder.

"He was right beside me! He couldn't have-no. No, no, no, no, no!" Rodney's eyes widened as he quickly pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the tunnel vision that accompanied getting up too fast.

Ronon stood as well, towering over Rodney. "McKay?" he snarled as Rodney whipped his head around, searching for Sheppard.

"I believe we have a problem." Teyla's concerned voice came from behind him.

"Yes, thanks for the update! I know we have a problem! Colonel Sheppard is missing!" Rodney spat back, his eyes darting back and forth, scanning each man that accompanied Teyla and Ronon through the 'gate. Lorne's face was the only one that truly stood out.

Teyla's hand softly touched Rodney's shoulder, gaining his attention. "I do not believe that is the case, Rodney," she told him, her brow creased in a frown. She tipped her head in the direction of a black mass lying on the grass a few dozen feet away.

"What's that?" Ronon asked, crossing his burly arms over his chest.

"More like _who_ is that?" Rodney rephrased the question, peering through the grass.

"I believe that may be Colonel Sheppard." Teyla stared at the figure in the grass as it began to wake up.

~oOo~

John groaned, raising a hand up to his head. It hurt like hell. Almost like someone had hammered a railroad spike though it. His whole body ached and felt a little-odd? Like things weren't where they should be.

With a sigh, he opened his eyes and instantly regretted it. His sunglasses had been knocked off when he fell and he was blinded by the double suns. Slowly and gingerly, he pulled himself into a sitting position, which made him feel stranger yet. His chest felt heavy.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, noticing that his voice sounded wrong. Very wrong. Reaching up to rub his throat, he felt a tickle of hair against the back of his hand and arm. Once again, John opened his eyes, slower this time, keeping his eyes on his chest. And that was definitely wrong. Frowning, he hooked his finger into the collar of his shirt and pulled it away from his chest. "This…could be a problem," he muttered.

"John?" he head Teyla's voice to his left and turned his head. She had a very strange expression on her face, as did Ronon and Rodney.

"Holy crap! He looks hot!" Rodney shuddered and coughed. "Excuse me while I go cut my tongue out of my head and burn my eyes out of their sockets." With that, the scientist turned away.

John grimaced and pushed himself to his feet, feeling his pants, though belted, slide downward. Grabbing hold of them, he glared at his team. "Is it just me, or do I have-you know? Breasts?"

Now he noticed Lorne and his team as well. "Oh, believe me, sir. It ain't just you."

"Rodney-" John snarled, ignoring the faint smirk on Lorne's lips.

Rodney didn't answer.

Clenching his jaw, John unfastened his belt, then cinched it to the very last holes and stomped, as effectively as one could in oversized boots, to Rodney. Ignoring the amused smirk on Ronon's face as well, John grabbed the back of Rodney's tac vest, giving it a firm yank.

Spinning around, Rodney started with a glare, but couldn't keep it on his face for very long. The muscles around his mouth twitched with the effort to keep a grin from his lips.

"Don't even start, Rodney. Just tell me why this happened." John glared into Rodney's amused eyes and gripped his collar.

The amusement left Rodney's face instantly. "I-I don't know! It probably has something to do with that light earlier. I'd have to study the symbols on the tower to be sure-"

"Sir, we found something!" one of Lorne's men exclaimed, jogging up to them. Looked like the radios still didn't work.

"What is it?" Lorne replied, turning to his 2IC. The amused smirk almost broke into a full grin when the other man did a double-take.

Managing to pull his gaze away from Sheppard, the Captain answered, "Some sort of silver obelisk, Major."

"No one touched it, did they? John growled at him, still gripping Rodney's collar tightly.

"No, ma'am-er-sir?"

"Sir is fine, Captain," Teyla answered, watching John's face contort in anger. She put a hand on his arm, making him release Rodney. "John, let us return to Atlantis for now and we can come up with a solution to this…problem."

"If you let me go back and study that obelisk-" Rodney began to protest before John cut him off.

"No. Teyla's right. We're going back to Atlantis where Dr. Beckett can tell me just what to look forward to. Not to mention change my clothes," John growled through gritted teeth. "Lorne, get your men back to the 'gate."

"Yes, sir." Lorne nodded and headed off into the forest with the captain.

John spotted his sunglasses on the ground and picked them up, slipping them on. He noticed Ronon was still smirking. "I dare you to say anything, Chewy."

Ronon shrugged and turned away, walking over to Rodney's pack and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Colonel, if you let me study that-"

"No, McKay. It's too dammed dangerous. I don't want anyone else going near it until we have a proper translator." John was surprised his voice came out as calm as it did.

"If you just let me study it-!"

"No! Rodney, we are going back to Atlantis and finding someone who can decipher those symbols. You're not causing any more damage that you already have by rooting through that panel," John growled through his teeth.

"I'm not the one who touched the screen!" Rodney shouted back.

"I told you, I didn't _touch_ anything," John replied, clenching his fists.

"John. Rodney. I do not believe that is the issue at the moment. We only need to find out how this happened and reverse it," Teyla interrupted in her very best diplomatic voice.

"Which I can do, if you'll let me!" Rodney shouted, his voice becoming increasingly agitated.

"Believe me. No one wants this reversed more than me. I mean, hey, I like women, but I don't want to _be_ one. I don't want to expose anyone else to that until we can get a linguist," John hissed back, crossing his arms awkwardly over his new breasts three times before finding a suitable place for them to rest.

"Was it the language of the ancestors?" Ronon asked in his typical growl.

John sighed, "No, it's not Ancient. It would be so much easier if it was." He felt so wrong, and not just because he had some new assets. Something was definitely weird about that tower.

Teyla felt the thick blanket of tension fall over them as they waited for Major Lorne and his team to return. She had seen some strange things working alongside these people, but this was among the strangest. How could this device completely alter one's body, making a male into a female and possibly vice versa?

Deciding the quiet had stretched far enough, Teyla spoke. "If these symbols are not of the Ancestors, and neither of you recognized them, do you believe anyone else in Atlantis will be able to decipher them?" she asked John, forcing herself to look seriously at him.

"We have a couple of pretty decent linguists-" John began, only to be interrupted by a snort from Dr. McKay.

"If you insist on getting a linguist, at least get a _good_ one," McKay answered John's glare, crossing his arms with plenty of patented Rodney McKay arrogance.

"We'll discuss that when we get back. Where the hell is Lorne? It didn't take us that long to get back here," John complained, looking off into the forest.

"Yeah, but we were running for our lives at the time, if you recall," Rodney couldn't help but point that out in a grumble.

Teyla sighed and looked over at Ronon, who just shrugged. She admired his ability to remain calm in almost every situation. Of course, there really was no need to panic, unless of course, you were Colonel Sheppard.

"What took you so damn long?

Teyla looked up from her musings to see John glaring at Major Lorne.

"Sorry Colonel, but we thought we saw someone, so we went after 'em. We came up empty, though," Lorne answered, obviously trying hard to keep the smile off his face.

Anyone who knew John as well as his team could sense his internal conflict. Ignore his situation and chase after a shadow, or return to Atlantis and possibly lose the only change he may get to reverse this disaster?

"Rodney, dial the 'gate," he finally said, looking away from the tree line.

The astrophysicist didn't complain, just keyed in the co-ordinates for home.

~oOo~

Elizabeth stood on the balcony, watching as everyone stepped into the 'gate room. The head count was right, but there was no Colonel Sheppard. Just a woman who could have been his twin.

"What happened?" she demanded, rushing down to the embarkation floor to greet the two teams. She eyed the strange woman and directed her confused glance at Teyla, then Rodney.

"The Colonel couldn't keep his hands to himself," Rodney answered.

Elizabeth's frown deepened, eyes resting on the rather voluptuous woman, who she could now see was wearing John's clothing. She knew John had a soft spot for beautiful women, and this woman was definitely beautiful.

"Oh, if only it was that simple," the woman complained, rolling her hazel eyes.

"I beg your pardon?" Elizabeth put her hands on her hips and chose to ignore the stifled laughter coming from one of Lorne's men.

The woman sighed and dragged her fingers through her long, dark hair. "Unfortunately Elizabeth, it's me," she muttered, sweeping her hand through the air to indicate her body.

Unbelieving, Elizabeth looked to the other members of John's team. Teyla nodded sagely, Ronon shrugged and Rodney answered with a smug little smirk.

"How in the world did this happen?" she asked, exasperated.

"Can I at least go change my clothes, first?" John asked, tugging at the ill-fitting tee-shirt and pants that were low on his hips.

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and noticed the stares they were getting from various technicians and scientist. "Conference room, fifteen minutes," she answered, shaking her head as she walked away.

"She seems angry," Ronon muttered from behind John as they headed off to the prep room to stow their equipment.

"Nah, just confused. But hey, aren't we all?" John replied as he led the group.

"Dr. McKay, earlier you mentioned a better linguist than those who work on Atlantis. Of whom did you speak?" Teyla asked after they entered the prep room.

"Dr. Daniel Jackson," the man replied as he removed his TAC vest. "He speaks twenty seven languages, including Goa'uld, Ancient and Unas. He is the most qualified man I know of to do this, if you insist on getting someone other than myself, of course."

Teyla had heard the name before on a few occasions, but she didn't meet the man when he was here briefly to gather information from the Ancient database.

"We'll discuss it with Elizabeth. Now run along children, we have a debriefing to attend in ten minutes and I still need to change my clothes," John muttered, ushering the men and Teyla from the prep room. As soon as this briefing was through, he was going to pay a visit to Dr. Beckett.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth glanced at her watch as Rodney continued to speak. The debriefing had started ten minutes ago and John and yet to show up. It wasn't like him to be late. But on the other hand, he had just undergone a complete physical makeover.

"Sorry I'm late," John said as he entered the conference room.

Elizabeth was taken aback. This was probably one of the strangest things she had ever seen. And in her time as commander of the Atlantis base and of the SGC combined, she had seen some pretty strange things. "Uh, John," she finally said, "take a seat." She tore her gaze away from the beautiful woman her military commander had turned into and focused her attention back on Rodney.

"You couldn't find anything _better_ to wear?" Rodney asked, glaring at John.

John glared back, his now thickly lashed eyes narrowing dangerously. "Well Rodney, I didn't expect to need women's clothing, so like an idiot, I never packed any!" he growled through clenched teeth.

"Under the circumstances, it's fine," Elizabeth commented. The black tee-shirt he wore was stretched tightly across his now quite ample chest and exposing his midriff, and the pair of too-big sweat pants were cinched around his hips with the drawstring falling in a floppy bow. He had the cuffs of the pants tucked into the only remaining part of his uniform—his scuffed combat boots, which were a few sizes too large.

John shifted uncomfortably under the gazes of his friends and colleagues and cleared his throat. "Could we, uh, get back to the briefing and stop staring at me? Because it's not as though I don't already feel weird enough."

"Of course. Yes, um," Rodney cleared his throat, "Okay, as I was saying before Dame Edna arrived, I was up to my armpits in unfamiliar technology when Mr. Grabby Hands decided to go poking around. I-"

"I didn't do any poking around," John growled threateningly. "I was keeping an eye out when I walked in front of the screen. It turned on and a bunch of weird symbols began to scroll across it. Then you pushed me out of the way and it started to hum. We ran, a light overtook us and knocked us out. When we woke up, I was like this."

John's debriefing was always so much more to the point than Rodney's, Elizabeth noted for the umpteenth time. "Weird symbols?" she asked the room at large. After all, Lorne's men had seen the obelisk, too.

"Yeah, they were kinda different variations of lines, zigzags and circles," John answered. As usual, he was leaning back in his chair, hands folded across his stomach, but then suddenly, as if his spine had been replaced with a steel pipe, he sat up straight. Using a McKay-ism, he waggled his finger at Major Lorne. "Lorne. You said you and your men saw someone in the woods."

Frowning, Lorne leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table. "Yes, sir. We aren't really sure though. He was moving pretty fast. Could've been an animal of some sort."

"But there could be a chance this planet is inhabited?" Elizabeth added, also leaning forward.

"Yes ma'am," Lorne agreed.

"We should go back to M8G-921 and perform a search," Teyla suggested, "I'm sure Colonel Sheppard would prefer to do something while we wait until we have a translator, would you not?"

John nodded, his new long hair, which he had tied up in a ponytail, falling over his shoulder. "Yeah. Elizabeth, I want to take my team back to do a search. According to the position of the obelisk, I think it's safe to say that if there are any villages, they would probably be within a five mile radius of the 'gate."

Debating the pros and cons in her mind, Elizabeth hesitated. After a moment, she nodded. "Alright. But first I want you and Rodney to go see Carson. You aren't going anywhere if he doesn't clear you for gate travel. In the meantime, I'm going to put in a call to the SGC." With a nod, she dismissed the eight people who sat before her.

John stood up and sighed. "C'mon McKay, let's go see Dr. Beckett."

Surprisingly, Rodney followed without joke or complaint. Probably because he was anxious to see if he was still completely, one hundred percent Rodney McKay.

Shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked through the familiar opalescent corridors of the city, John grumbled, swearing under his breath.

"What?" asked Rodney, sounding momentarily alarmed.

"Have you ever tried walking in oversized boots?" he grumbled, stumbling as they walked.

"Is that all? Here I thought something was seriously wrong. Aside from the obvious," he added after receiving a glare from John.

Deciding there was no point in trying to have a conversation with McKay while he looked like this, John didn't say another word. He was too busy trying to figure out a way to say as little to Doc Beckett as possible, anyway. Truthfully, John had never known a man with as much compassion as Carson Beckett, but he wanted to keep this exam from getting awkward. Not that it wasn't already awkward…

"Rodneh, back from your mission? And who's this loveleh lass?" came Carson's Scottish brogue, disturbing John's thoughts.

Lass? Lovely? John cringed.

Rodney grinned like an idiot. "Carson, we had a bit of a mishap."

"Oh?"

"For crying out loud, Rodney! Doc, it's me, John," he muttered.

An expression of embarrassment took over the doctor's face and John gave him a sympathetic shrug. It wasn't his fault he hadn't known.

"Please, sit down Colonel," Carson mumbled, indicating one of the beds. He pulled the screen over for the miniscule privacy it provided. "What happened?" the doctor eventually asked, going through the regular motions of taking blood and temperature and shining the damned penlight in his eyes.

Rodney opened his mouth to undoubtedly blame John once again for touching the screen, but the colonel cut him off.

"We aren't sure. There was a bright light, I was knocked out and woke up like this," he answered, cringing when the stethoscope came out. That thing was always so friggin' cold!

"I'm going tae have tae scan you. I'm concerned about the shock tae your system. With such an abrupt change tae your physiology, there's bound tae be some side effects. Your brain chemistry, not tae mention hormones and, um, reproductive organs will have undergone serious stress by this change," Carson explained, sliding the end of the stethoscope down the front of his shirt to listen to his heart.

John inhaled sharply at the cold metal against his skin, frowning at Rodney, who was smirking. "What?" he snarled as the stethoscope moved around to his back.

"Ironic, isn't it? You're always getting the girl, and now you _are_ the girl!" Rodney grinned.

John let his eyes slide shut, urging his oncoming headache to go away.

"Well, all of your vital signs seem normal, but I want tae scan you anyway. Go lay down on the table, please, Colonel," Carson said with a sigh. He tucked his things away and followed Colonel Sheppard over to the Ancient medical device.

John hopped up onto the table and lay down. That felt odd all by itself. "Could we get this over with, please? I'd much rather be sitting up," he said, attempting to lay his arms comfortably at his sides.

A small smirk flicked across the doctor's face as he turned on the scanning device. It started to hum as it moved over his body.

"If you don't already have a headache, you will probably get one, as well as some mood swings and perhaps some abdominal pain. I can give you some painkillers, but unfortunately I won't be able tae do anything about the hormonal imbalance that won't seriously affect you later on, so I think it's best tae just let that run its course," Carson said, moving over John and prodding at his belly. "There is also some swelling in the new tissue," he added.

Rodney strolled over to stand beside John. "Bloated?" he joked.

John had seen a smug Rodney before, but never quite this smug. The bastard was enjoying this! The unfamiliar sting of tears burned at his eyes and he rolled onto his side, away from Rodney. This was _not_ happening. Why the hell was he crying? There was absolutely _no_ reason for it!

Thankfully, Carson pulled Rodney away to examine him, giving John a chance to compose himself. How could he command his team if his emotions were going to get in the way? He needed to keep a logical mind in hopes that he could control some of these outbursts. Anger was something he could deal with, but he refused to cry.

Sniffling, he wiped his eyes with the heels of his hand and got up off the exam table. A nurse came over and handed him some meds, which he downed gratefully. Fixing a glower in place, he leaned against the far wall and waited for Rodney to be finished with his exam.

~oOo~

Teyla stood beside Elizabeth as she spoke to the spectacled man on the monitor. The event horizon of the Stargate glittered in the large ring on the embarkation floor below them, the wormhole to Earth allowing Dr. Weir to communicate with the man known as Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Observing him, Teyla decided that despite his youthful features, he had the face of a knowledgeable man. He looked as though he had experienced many great and terrible things in his lifetime. His blue eyes could not contain the loss and turmoil hidden in his heart, yet there was also much kindness and spirit there. He was not a natural warrior, but was forced to become one in defense of those he cared for. As the human slang went; he wore his heart on his sleeve.

"-Point of reference." Dr. Jackson finished his explanation that Teyla had only half-heartedly paid attention to.

"We believe we can find someone from the people who built the obelisk," Dr. Weir answered, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Colonel Sheppard will be ready to depart shortly," Teyla added, offering a polite smile to Dr. Jackson.

"Well, Sam is working on something and Teal'c is at a meeting of the leaders of the free Jaffa, so I suppose I can spare a few days. I can be there before dinner," Dr. Jackson replied.

"_Teyla, this is Sheppard. We're getting ready to go_," the radio crackled in her ear.

"I am on my way," she replied. Turning to Weir, she bowed slightly. "Please, excuse me."

"Of course," she replied, turning back to the monitor. "Dr. Jackson, before you do, could you do one more thing for me? I need-" was all Teyla heard as she headed downstairs to the preparation room. When she arrived, she was greeted by an amusing sight.

John, now the same height as Dr. McKay, had one fist wrapped in the collar of the man's shirt, holding him against the lockers. His other hand lingered dangerously close to his side arm. Dr. McKay was holding onto the thin, feminine forearm that replaced John's more muscular arms and glared. A very dark expression masked Colonel Sheppard's face.

"Make one more joke, McKay. I _dare_ you," he hissed, giving Rodney's shirt a slight pull. John looked murderous.

Teyla looked to Ronon for assistance and found he wore an amused expression on his face. She frowned at him and he shrugged, moving to pull Sheppard away from Rodney.

Furious, John spun, his fist connecting with Ronon's jaw. Ronon was annoyed and wrapped his arms around John's belly, pinning his arms down and lifting him off his feet.

"Colonel Sheppard!" Teyla scolded, glaring at him.

"What?" he spat, turning his face toward her. He squirmed in Ronon's firm grasp.

"What has gotten into you?" she asked, "Usually you are much better at dealing with Dr. McKay's humor."

"He's pissed me off one too many times, Teyla!" John continued to struggle fruitlessly against the solid hold Ronon had on him.

"Ignore him," Rodney grumbled," His hormones are all messed up, screwing with his emotions."

Slowly, Teyla nodded in understanding. It was much like the Athosian children, and she assumed human children who were entering adulthood. She nodded at Ronon, who reluctantly released John and stepped out of his range.

John was seething, but managed to refrain from lashing out again. He sat down heavily on the bench and proceeded to tie his boots. She noticed he had acquired a smaller size.

Shaking her head, Teyla got ready for the mission. As she zipped up her tactical vest, she tried to ignore the oppressive silence that had fallen over them like a thick summer heat. She knew John felt awkward around them now, but he needed to push those feelings aside. She saw him no differently, and surely he knew that. And while Rodney's humor was misdirected, but he was concerned to John as well. Everyone who knew about this problem was undoubtedly concerned for John, she was sure.

"Alright, let's get going," John said, standing up and zipping his own vest, cursing silently when the zipper became difficult to pull where the garment was strained across his chest.

Nodding, Teyla picked up her weapon and followed John out to the embarkation floor. Ronon and Rodney were behind her.

"Colonel, you dropped these," Rodney spoke up from behind her, reaching around her shoulder to hand him his sunglasses.

"Uh. Thanks," John answered, brow furrowed. He took the glasses and slipped them on. He walked a few steps but stopped abruptly, nearly causing Teyla to crash into him.

"Colonel Sheppard?" she asked, exchanging a glance with Rodney.

"Alright, campers, listen up. I'm only saying this once," he grumbled, turning to face his team. "I _know_ I look different, and I _know_ it's weird. I would appreciate it if you didn't call attention to that fact by treating me differently. I am still Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, USAF. Is that understood?"

Ronon cleared his throat. "Sheppard, if we could deal with you as a Bug-man, we can handle you as a woman."

That seemed to lift John's spirit because he grinned at Ronon. "I suppose you're right."

"Can we just go? The sooner we change you back into a guy, the sooner I can stop feeling so weirded out," Rodney mumbled, moving past them and out into the gate room.

"The self-proclaimed genius makes sense." John shrugged, following Rodney.

"Not self-proclaimed! I am a genius!" Rodney called back in protest.

"Whatever!"

Teyla exchanged a glance with Ronon, who shrugged and trudged after John. With a sigh, Teyla followed,

Standing between John and Ronon, Teyla watched as the symbols quickly fell into place and the wormhole exploded forth from the Stargate.

"Move out," John commanded.

As usual, they followed their leader into the glittering blue pool, ready to take on whatever the universe might throw at them this time.


	4. Chapter 4

John stepped out of the 'gate on '921 and prayed to the Ancients that maybe, just maybe, the 'gate put him back together how he should be. Looking down, he sighed. Nope, still there. "Oh well, didn't have anything to lose by hoping," he muttered. "Okay, team, we're going to make a half mile berth around the obelisk, just to be on the safe side. Ronon would make a _really_ ugly woman."

Rodney's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Ronon, who took the joke in stride.

Leading his team across the clearing where the 'gate was located, John used the time to think. And to drown out McKay's incessant babbling.

This morning he woke up, expecting a normal -well, normal by Atlantis standards, anyway- day. He shouldn't have expected anything. Rule one of working for the SGC, expect the downright, utterly insane. And this was beyond even those standards. The fact that he now had breasts, and lacked…other things, was proof of that. And here, he thought the Asgard were weird. Well, they were weird, but this was weirder.

"-And that's how I saved the city from a massive power surge!" Rodney was finishing up another grandiose, over exaggerated story of how he single handedly saved the city when John's mind floated back down to M8G 921.

"As I recall, Dr. Zelenka, Miko, as well as many others also helped-," Teyla tried to say, but was cut off by a scoff from McKay.

John stopped abruptly, causing Rodney to walk into him.

"What the-? Why'd we stop?" he grumbled, looking around at their surroundings.

"Are you alright?" Teyla asked, stepping up so she was standing next to John.

Through gritted teeth, he answered, "I thought I heard something." But it was a lie. He was startled by a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. It was almost like someone was twisting his innards, or stabbing at them with a dull blade. Whatever it was, it was not pleasant.

Trying to regain his composure, he heard the familiar whine of Ronon's energy weapon powering up. John looked up and saw the big man pointing his big gun roughly in the direction of the obelisk.

"What's up?" John asked, gritting his teeth and raising his own weapon.

"Heard something," was the gruff reply from the Satedan.

"Let's check it out." John pushed the pain from his mind after making a mental note to ask the Doc about stronger meds and led his team forward. He walked carefully and slowly through the forest, cringing whenever a twig snapped under his boot.

"What did you hear? I didn't hear anything," Rodney babbled, walking very loudly behind them.

"Maybe if you'd shut up for three seconds, you'd hear something other than your own voice," John hissed, panning over the trees with the muzzle of his P90.

"So says the man -woman?- man who enjoys his own awful jokes!" Rodney hissed back.

"Shut up," growled John, stopping when he heard footfalls over dry, dead leaves and twigs. He held up a fist and pointed to Ronon and Rodney, then indicated the right, and then motioned for Teyla to come with him. They split up and chased after the source of the footfalls.

Concentrating on his job allowed John to ignore all the different, and painful sensations running was causing. His honed senses helped him hear the other running footsteps over his own and Teyla's. When he glanced to the side, he saw a flash of Ronon's dreads through the trees. A thin branch scratched his cheek as he ran. The blood trickled down his cheek, tickling his skin, but he didn't care. He was focused on catching whoever was running through the forest.

After a few minutes, the trees thinned and John and Teyla left the forest behind. About one hundred yards ahead, Ronon had someone at gun point near the edge of a cliff. Rodney stood nearby, bent at the waist and panting.

Coming to a stop behind Ronon, John cleared his throat, making his presence known.

Ronon spared a quick glance over his shoulder. He nodded at the young man who was cowering on the ground. "This is him."

"Good." John looked down at the man, who was trembling, his eyes wide and searching. The big, pale blue orbs locked on John and got impossibly bigger behind a veil of shaggy brown bangs.

"So beautiful," the man murmured.

John looked over his shoulder at Teyla, then to the odd look on Rodney's face, then to Ronon who was still pointing his gun. He looked back to the man on the ground. "So help me if you're talking about me…"

"I think he-"

"Rodney, shut it!" John growled.

"Truly, you are a work of art straight from our Ancestors!" the man exclaimed in a hushed tone, continuing to stare up at John.

"Um…This is disturbing. Stop drooling and tell us your name." John frowned, keeping his weapon pointed squarely between the man's eyes.

"I am Kyrdas, m'lady," the wide eyed man replied, bowing his head.

John grimaced. "Does anybody else find anything really wrong with what he just said?"

"Please," Kyrdas continued, head still bowed, "I am but a humble servant to the creations of the _Fvet'Ur_."

Taking the hint, John lowered his weapon and motioned for the others to do the same. "The what, now?"

"I think he means the obelisk," Rodney supplied.

"Thanks, Sherlock." John grumbled.

Kyrdas looked up at John, confusion in his eyes. "I am unfamiliar with that term."

Teyla stepped forward now, catching the man's wide eyed stare. "He speaks of the structure in the forest."

"Another beauty! Are you a product of the _Fvet'Ur _as well?" Kyrdas asked, awe in his voice. It seemed almost as though he hadn't seen a whole lot of women in his life time.

"I am not. My friend, however, was made this way by the device in the forest," Teyla explained to him, seeming unperturbed by his appraising eyes.

"A miracle!" the man gasped. "The _Fvet'Ur_ has not performed its duty in many years! You must speak with our leader, Nidrah."

John let a polite smile quirk his lips. "Great. Lead the way."

The awe on the man's face quickly faded into an expression of concern and worry. "Oh no, I cannot take you to Nidrah," he replied, shaking his head.

Rodney spoke up, indignant. "But you just said we should see this -Nidrah, person!" he exclaimed, moving his hand in a vague sort of waving motion.

"Preparations must be made!" Kyrdas exclaimed, frowning at Rodney before turning his gaze back to Teyla and John. "Please, I am very sorry m'ladies, but you must return tomorrow to meet with Nidrah."

"I would really rather meet with Nidrah today," John answered. He folded his hands on top of his P90 and sighed inwardly.

Kyrdas groveled at John's feet. "That is not possible! Preparations need to be made. I would be severely punished if I were to bring you to our village now! Forgive me!" he begged, actually kissing the toes of John's boots.

"Cut that out!" John took a few steps away from Kyrdas, a scowl on his face. "Fine, we'll come back tomorrow. We'll be here at the same time."

Kyrdas scrambled to his feet, bowing repeatedly before he took off along the edge of the cliff.

"Why did you let him leave? We should have just forced him to take us down to the village!" complained Rodney.

"We'll come back tomorrow and if he isn't here, we'll find the village ourselves," John answered. Truthfully, he was worried. More so than he cared to admit out loud. And it wasn't just the fact that he might never be himself again, it was also the growing pain in his gut. The stabbing, burning pain that made his stomach do back flips and his intestines tie themselves in knots.

His team walked quietly back through the forest, their feet crunching on twigs and leaves. Each footstep reverberated up through John's legs, increasing the queasiness that was creeping up on him. He tried to swallow against the lump in his throat, but felt the bile continue to rise.

"Guys, we have to stop for a minute," John managed to say in his usual, casual tone.

"Why?" Rodney questioned, frowning.

"Just keep an eye out. I'll be right back." Without saying anything else, John walked behind a nearby tree, bent at the waist and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the forest floor. With a few extra heaves for good measure, he straightened up, wiped his mouth and rejoined his team.

"Oh, very dignified," Rodney mumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Be glad I didn't do it on your boots," John replied miserably, resuming the trek through the woods.

"Are you feeling alright, Colonel?" Teyla asked, falling into step beside him.

"Maybe he's pregnant?" Rodney joked.

A faint smirk passed over Ronon's features.

John shot a dark glare at the astrophysicist.

"What? I'm just saying that the symptoms seem to point to it," continued Rodney with a shrug.

"If you _ever_ mention that again, you'll have your own symptoms to worry about."

Ronon snorted quietly, hiding his amusement.

"Cause I am _so_ threatened by you in your current state, Colonel Cross dresser," Rodney scoffed.

"I don't plan on being this way for very much longer," John growled in response.

"You wouldn't do anything to me…" Rodney narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he didn't sound too convinced.

John stopped and turned toward Rodney, daggers in his eyes, but a dangerous grin on his lips. "Wouldn't I?"

"No, you wouldn't. I'm far too valuable for anyth- Whoa!" Rodney jumped backward when John emptied the remaining contents of his stomach onto Rodney's boots.

"Thank you for that very graphic display of the lunch menu," grumbled Rodney, looking at the Colonel, who still hadn't straightened up.

John glanced up, a sheepish, yet nauseated smirk on his lips. "Sorry…"

"Colonel, are you sure you are all right?" Teyla asked, placing a hand on John's back.

John glanced up at Teyla. "Truthfully? I, uh, don't feel so hot…"

Teyla, alarmed by her leader's tone, looked to Ronon. "We must get back to Atlantis quickly," she said.

There was a soft thump as John keeled over, hitting the forest floor, followed by Rodney's voice. "I think Ronon is going to have to carry John."

Teyla looked over her shoulder and found that John had lost consciousness.

Without being asked, Ronon bent down and easily scooped John's limp form from the ground. As quickly as the trio could manage, they headed back towards the Stargate…

~oOo~

"Medical team to the 'gate room!" Elizabeth called through the city-wide system when Ronon burst through the event horizon into Atlantis. John's body was hanging lifelessly in his arms. Teyla and Rodney were right behind him.

Elizabeth took the stairs two at a time, stepping onto the embarkation floor the same time the medical team arrived. "What happened? And…why do you smell like vomit?" She wrinkled her nose when she caught a whiff of the pungent odor.

Rodney scowled down at his boots. "John barfed on my feet, and then promptly fainted," he explained, watching as Ronon placed John onto a gurney.

"Well, go get cleaned up." Elizabeth frowned at him and the smell emanating from his boots and pant legs. She looked up at Ronon, then to Teyla as Rodney walked off. "Debrief in twenty minutes," she said loud enough for Rodney to hear as well.

Teyla and Ronon nodded, and then followed in the same direction Rodney had left.

With a sigh, Elizabeth headed back upstairs to her office. She wanted to go check on John, but knew she would just be in the way in the infirmary while Carson worked. Plus, she had to wait to greet Dr. Jackson when he arrived. She looked at her watch. "That should be-"

"Incoming wormhole from Midway!" called a technician.

Elizabeth smiled and turned around. "Right on time…Unusual for him," she muttered to herself as she left to greet their special guest.


	5. Chapter 5

John opened his eyes, squinting at the bright light.

"Hello," said voice to his right. It wasn't immediately identifiable, but he knew he had heard it before.

"How-" he swallowed hard, closing his eyes again. "How long was I out?"

"Dr. Beckett tells me it was nearly three hours," the faceless voice answered.

"Really? God, Rodney's never gonna let me live that down," John groaned, letting his head loll in the direction of the voice. He tried opening his eyes again, and was more than a little surprised to see Dr. Daniel Jackson casually sitting by his bedside, reading a very thick book. He looked strangely at ease. "Dr. Jackson?"

"Yeah. Oh! Uh, this, I assume, is for you," Dr. Jackson said, pulling something out from under his chair and handing it to John.

John's eyebrows twitched and he looked down at the plastic wrapped package in his hands. The corner of his mouth quirked upward. "Thanks."

"Along with the uniform, Dr. Weir wanted me to include a couple…other things…but you can than Sam for those." Dr. Jackson returned the smirk.

John actually blushed. "You don't seem surprised by this…"

"I _have_ worked for the SGC for ten years. I've seen some pretty strange things. Body swapping among them. I don't think there's that much that can really surprise me anymore," Jackson answered, closing the tome on his lap.

John shrugged. "Can't deny that logic."

An awkward silence stretched between the two men. John shifted in his narrow hospital bed and Dr. Jackson thumbed through his book.

"So, ah, thanks for coming out here to help us out," John finally said after a few minutes, brushing his hair from his face.

"No problem. Any chance to visit this amazing city," Dr. Jackson waved his hand, encompassing the room and the city beyond.

"Tell you what, since you were in such a hurry the last time you were here, I'll personally give you the grand tour once this is done with," John told the archeologist, offering a smile to a nurse that walked by.

"I'd appreciate that, thanks." Jackson stood up, placing his book on his chair as Dr. Beckett and Elizabeth approached the foot of the bed.

"I see our patient is awake," Dr. Beckett greeted with a smile.

"Barely," John answered with a yawn. "So, any idea why I, ya know," John made a falling motion with his arm, "passed out?"

"Fainted!" Rodney corrected smugly as he joined the group.

John rolled his eyes and Dr. Beckett offered him a sympathetic look. Dr. Jackson and Elizabeth shared a wary expression.

"Yes, Rodney, I fainted. But I've also had a complete physiological makeover today, including some organs switched on me, and a compete remapping of my hormones, not to mention serious trauma to my brain. You had no such excuse," John replied with an equally smug expression.

"That is not true. I was in the shield for-"

Dr. Jackson cut him off. "Dr. Beckett! Is Colonel Sheppard cleared for 'gate travel?" he asked impatiently, shoving his hands into his pockets. With pursed lips, he rocked on his heels and looked down at the doctor through the bottom of his lenses.

Turning his eyes to the tablet he held, Beckett sighed. "I don't see why not. There really isn't anything physically wrong with him, other than the obvious."

John frowned, pushing himself upright on the bed. "Only one question, Doc. Can I have some stronger pain meds?"

"The last ones didna work?" The doctor frowned deeply.

"'Fraid not, Doc," John answered with a shrug.

"Ah. That reminds me," Daniel reached into a pocket of his BDU and withdrew a small box. "Here. This is from Vala…"

John took the box, read the label and let his chin drop to his chest. "Well -ah-thanks, I guess."

Elizabeth hid a grin as John tucked the box of _Midol_ under his packaged uniform. Clearing her throat, she gained everyone's attention. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have some work to attend to. I just came by to see how you were doing, John." She smiled at him.

"Physically, I feel fine for the moment," John replied with a shrug.

"Good to hear. I will leave you in Dr. Beckett's capable hands, then." With a nod, she turned and left the infirmary.

"You know," Rodney spoke up, perching himself on a nearby stool, "I still think you're pregnant."

"Rodney," John warned, fists tightening on his blanket.

"No, really! You're sick, you're irritable, your hormones, are, well, all over the place," Rodney continued with a chuckle, crossing his arms.

"I'll show you hormones," John growled, launching himself from the bed and going straight for Rodney's jugular.

The sound of Dr. Jackson clearing his throat stopped him in his tracks. "Uh, Colonel?" His eyebrows rose and he pointed at John's back.

Only then did John feel the cool, circulated air on his back and legs. "Dammit, Doc! A hospital gown?" he demanded, gathering the cloth in his fist at his back to hold it closed. Thank God for underwear. As he reluctantly climbed back into his bed, he could honestly say he had _never_ heard McKay laugh that hard.

"Get out and stop botherin' my patient!" Beckett scolded, shooing Rodney from the infirmary. "I am sorry, Colonel, but it serves you right! You shouldna be leapin' out of your bed like that!"

Crossing his arms, John scowled childishly at the end of his bed. "I feel fine."

"Be that as it may, you are still my patient. And while you are my patient, you will stay in your bed! I want tae keep you here overnight for observation."

"Yeah, alright. Could someone fetch me my PJ's from my room, then?" John asked with a resigned sigh.

"I'll go do that right now," Beckett replied, his usual genial smile back in place.

"Thanks, Doc."

"Dr. Jackson, please make sure he doesn't leave his bed again," Beckett added as he left the infirmary.

Dr. Jackson shook his head and resumed his seat by John's bedside. "Well, at least you're whole, healthy, in your own body and not possessed or crazy," he said, lacing his fingers together on top of the book in his lap.

"I'll give you healthy and the last two, but I don't feel whole, or like I'm in my own body. Hell, I don't even feel all that healthy or sane, either," John answered.

"You're in your own body, just with a few new features. I've actually been out of my body, and gone crazy. Was in a mental institution and everything."

John raised an eyebrow. "I've been part Iratus bug.."

"I've been dead."

"I've been Rodney's slave."

"Ooh. You win," Dr. Jackson conceded, brow furrowing.

John grinned. "I admit, though, you have been through a whole hell of a lot more than me."

Jackson shrugged. "I've also been going through the 'gate longer than you. Give it a while…"

"Oh, I am looking forward to many more years of 'gate travel," John answered almost sarcastically. "So, do you think you'll be able to decipher whatever language that's on that obelisk?"

"I'll certainly give it my best shot," Jackson answered, eyebrows rising. "As far as I've been able to gather from what Dr. Weir, Teyla, Ronon and McKay have told me, this _Fvet'Ur_ is some sort of religious structure to these people. Probably a piece of technology from a past generation. The secrets of the _Fvet'Ur_ have probably been lost, due to Wraith culling, and they basically know what it's supposed to do, but they have no clue how to use it, or how it works. If we're lucky, this Nidrah person may be the key to figuring out how the _Fvet'Ur_ works."

John blinked at Jackson. They really needed to teach McKay and Jackson language courses at the SGC. Lucky for him, he had been around McKay long enough to pick up on McKay quick speak. Dr. Jackson was way worse. "So, ah…what?"

Dr. Jackson smirked. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a lot like Jack O'Neill?"

John nodded. "Elizabeth has a couple of times. Okay, so basically, you think Nidrah can help us figure out what the obelisk is for," he summarized, combing his fingers through his hair.

"Exactly." Excitement sparkled in Jackson's eyes at the prospect of learning about a new culture. The excitement was contagious. John couldn't help but get a little excited when one of his team members did, but he never really showed it.

"You're still easier to understand than some people. Like McKay and his ridiculously long words." John smiled. Even though both men spoke a mile a minute, once you deciphered the speed, Jackson's words were easier to understand. He could see why General O'Neill hadn't wanted Dr. Jackson to come on the Atlantis expedition, had wanted to keep him close at hand on Earth as a member of SG-1. The archeologist could be extremely useful in many situations. Not only would he be able to translate any _Ancient_ they came across, but he was good with words, and had ten years of field experience under his belt. Hell, John thought he was probably capable of negotiating with the Wraith!

"Jack would disagree with you. He doesn't understand what I say half the time."

John started to reply, but got mouthful of cloth when his pajamas hit him in the face.

"Don't you have anything better to do, McKay?" Jackson asked irritably.

Pulling his clothes off his face, John glared at McKay. "Where's Carson?"

"That's the last time I do something nice for someone," Rodney huffed. "Carson stopped to talk to Elizabeth. He asked me to bring those to you."

"Sorry, Rodney, but your name isn't synonymous with the word 'nice', 'kind', 'congenial' or any other variant of the word," John grumbled.

"Hey, I'm perfectly nice! Remember when I gave you that scone?"

"You stole it from Carson!"

Dr. Jackson cleared his throat. "As much as I'm enjoying this stimulating conversation, I think I'm going to go get something to eat and then turn in for the night," he said as he stood up.

"Ah, alright. Well, have a good night. And thanks again for bringing the uniform." John extended his arm and grasped Jackson's hand in a firm handshake.

"No problem." With a nod, Jackson picked up his book and left John and Rodney alone in the infirmary.

Rodney sat down on the chair Jackson had vacated as John got out of bed. Making sure to hold the back of his hospital gown closed, he grabbed his PJ's and went behind a screen to change.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Rodney asked from his chair.

"Can't. The Doc says I gotta stay here. But you could bring me something from the mess. And the chess board. I'm bored to tears," John answered, pulling his baggy sleep shirt over his head.

The chair scrapped against the floor as Rodney stood. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back in twenty minutes."

"Don't take my pudding this time! Don't think I didn't know!"

"I didn't!"

"Did."

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

"Did not!"

John came out from behind the screen, arms crossed. "You had it on your face, McKay. You did steal it. Now would you just go get me my food? I'm starving," he grumbled.

Rodney threw up his arms indignantly and stomped out of the infirmary. John smirked. He loved when he was able to get in the last word when he argued with McKay, as seldom as that occurred.

Hopping back onto his bed, John fluffed his pillows and leaned back against them. Folding his arms behind his head, he waited for McKay to return with his food and entertainment. Despite how weird things had become today, he could still depend on McKay to amuse him if he was stuck in the infirmary under the watchful eye of Dr. Carson Beckett. Okay, so maybe amuse wasn't the right word, but he would still be there to distract him. Ah, the benefit of having friends.

As he waited for McKay, John silently prayed that Teyla and Ronon would drop by for a visit.


	6. Chapter 6

John fidgeted with his new clothing once again and sighed.

"What is it this time?" Rodney grumbled in annoyance, crossing his arms. He glanced over at John from his seat and saw the man-turned-woman's disgruntled expression.

Barely sparring the scientist a glance, John continued to fidget. "As a man, I'm used to taking bras off, not putting them on."

Rodney rolled his eyes and glanced out into the control room. He and John were waiting in Elizabeth's office for Dr. Jackson. The man was always late. This occasion was no different. "That man needs a new watch. Or an alarm clock," he grumbled to himself, having given up on conversation with Colonel Crackpot.

"How's the new uniform working out?"

John looked up at the newcomer and seemed to briefly consider punching him in the nose. "Oh, just peachy," he replied instead.

"It's about time you showed up!" Rodney exclaimed, getting to his feet.

Dr. Jackson ignored Rodney and sat down in the chair in front of Sheppard.

"Did you learn anything helpful from any of those thick books you brought?" John asked finally removing his hands from his clothing.

Jackson shook his head. "Sadly, no."

"Well, with his boyfriend's help-"

"Rodney, if you don't want to become a eunuch, I suggest you shut the hell up," John said with surprising calmness.

Dr. Jackson hid his smirk.

Shrugging, Rodney turned toward the door of Elizabeth's office. "Whatever. I'll go find Teyla and Ronon," With a deep frown, the scientist left the office.

"From what I've heard, Kyrdas responds really well to women-"

"Who doesn't?"

"-so I was thinking maybe we should keep this a four man team and leave McKay behind," Jackson continued without even batting an eye at John's comment.

John slid off Elizabeth's desk, shoving his hands into his pockets. "If only it were that easy," he muttered, "No, I'd like to bring McKay. Can't go anywhere without the resident über geek."

Jackson nodded his agreement. "I feel the same way about Sam. Except she can use a gun."

"McKay's gotten better."

"Okay, so how about leaving Ronon behind?"

John shook his head. "Oh no. Chewy is staying. I'd like to keep my team together, Dr. Jackson."

"Okay, okay. In my experience, people as skittish as Kyrdas sounded respond better to smaller groups of people." Dr. Jackson stood and slid his hands into his pockets.

John shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm sure one more won't make a huge difference."

"You should just make sure McKay and Ronon don't do a lot of the talking. You're probably going to get more truthful answers if you or Teyla ask the questions," Jackson replied.

The leader nodded. "Ronon hardly talks anyway, but I'll have a word with Rodney before we head out."

Jackson glanced down at his watch, then down to the idle 'gate. "Which is in about fifteen minutes."

"Right. Let's go gear up."

Jackson followed John from Elizabeth's office and in the direction of the prep room. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "Here," he said, handing the paper to John.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at the archeologist's messy scrawl.

"A list of questions I'm going to need the answers to if I don't get to talk."

"Ah."

~oOo~

"What do you mean I can't talk?" Rodney asked in exasperation.

"Just that. You can't talk," John replied, zipping his vest.

Rodney's jaw was hanging around his knees. "Can I at least have a reason for my vow of silence?"

"You're annoying," stated Ronon.

Jackson looked up from tying his boots, smirked, and gave the man a real answer. "Because I believe, just by what I've learned about Kyrdas, that he and his people value the word of a woman far above that of a man. We need as much information as possible from these people, and if you are continually butting in-"

"I do not 'butt in'!"

"You sure about that?" John asked with a slight smirk.

Rodney's mouth opened and closed, gaping like a fish.

Smirking in his dangerous Satedan way, Ronon looked at John. "I'll keep him in line."

John turned to Dr. Jackson. "See? No problems." He grinned and slapped Ronon on the back.

"Let's hope it stays that way," Jackson muttered, clipping a P90 to his vest and grabbing his field kit.

"Teyla, you're being awfully quiet," John remarked as they double checked their equipment before heading to the 'gate room.

The Athosian smiled at her commander. "I have been amusing myself by listening to all of you," she answered.

"I'm glad I amuse you," John replied with only a hint of sarcasm. Turning his focus back on his team, he noticed that Ronon was itching to shoot something, so he decided it was high time to head out.

Leading his team to the Stargate, he nodded up to Elizabeth who stood on the balcony overhead. She looked like she had the normal pre-mission jitters. He had to admit, he too was a little nervous. His entire future rested on this meeting and Dr. Jackson's skills. With a sigh, he shrugged it off and told Chuck to dial the 'gate.

"Alright kids, let's move out," he ordered before leading his team into the shimmering blue pool after it settled into place.

~oOo~

As he stepped out of the icy wormhole, John once again hoped that the 'gate may put him back to normal. And once again, he was disappointed. No easy fixes in the Pegasus Galaxy.

On their way to the rendezvous point, John could hear Teyla chatting animatedly with Dr. Jackson.

"When did you first step through the Ancestral Ring, Dr. Jackson?" she asked.

"Wow. That seems like a life time ago," Jackson answered and went on to talk about Abydos and his late wife.

John didn't feel the need to pay attention so he kept his eyes on the path ahead of them. His focus would drift between Teyla's conversation with Jackson, Rodney's attempt at conversation with Ronon and the crunch of dirt, leaves and twigs under his boots. The smell of the forest and fresh air also caught his attention.

Feeling another wave of cramps, John slowed to a halt and pretended to survey the area.

"Aww, you're not gonna puke again, are you?" McKay groaned.

"No, McKay, I'm not gonna puke again," John croaked out and continued walking. He rolled his eyes and focuses on not tripping on fallen branches.

Dr. Jackson fell into step beside him.

"Tell me, Jackson, do you put up with this crap on a daily basis?"

"By crap, you mean-?"

"McKay."

Jackson shook his head. "No. The worst I had to deal with was Jack's arrogant sarcasm. And I did suggest leaving him behind."

John offered a smirk. "True, and I'm beginning to think that may have been a good idea."

"I can hear you, y'know," McKay grumbled.

Looking around, John noticed they were nearing the cliff, so he chose to ignore McKay. He could hear voices ahead.

"The _Fvet'Myiah'Ur_ will be here!"

"Nidrah is the only _Myiannah_ left!"

"I am telling you, there were two!"

John looked at Dr. Jackson who wore a scholarly frown.

"I am assuming _myiah_ or _myiannah_ means woman," he replied.

"You're the linguist." John shrugged.

"He said there were two. He was probably referring to you and Teyla," Daniel elaborated.

Rodney cleared his throat behind them. "Can we just get this over with? I don't want to be here all day. Believe it or not, but I have better things to do with my time."

"Shut up, McKay," John sighed. He did not have the patience for his friend's ego today. With a slight shrug, the Colonel led his team toward the voices.

Kyrdas' eyes brightened when he saw John. He and his two cohorts dropped to their knees. John rolled his eyes.

"See! I told you the _Myiah'Ur_ would be here!" Kyrdas gasped.

Groaning inwardly, John bent down and hauled Kyrdas to his feet. "Don't do that."

"Kyrdas! _Rhydrak_! You said she only had two _tekdah_ with her. The large one and the pudgy one. Who is the third?" One of Kyrdas' guards asked with a growl in his voice. Both were back on their feet.

Teyla stepped forward. "It is alright. Dr. Jackson is a friend of ours," she explained with a smile.

"Pudgy?" Rodney gasped indignantly.

Ronon nudged Rodney none-to-gently.

"I am not-!" the scientist began a second time, only to receive a multitude of glares and a shove from Ronon.

"Rodney, I will send you home if you don't shut it," John snarled.

Clearly Rodney wanted to see what was going to happen because his jaw closed with an audible snap.

Satisfied, John turned back to Kyrdas, his pissed off scowl morphing into his friendly grin smoothly. "Sorry about that. As Teyla was saying, this is Dr. Jackson. He's a linguist."

The two guards let their eyes travel up and down Jackson's frame, sizing him up. When they deemed him non-threatening, they turned back to John and Teyla.

The guard that had previously spoken bowed. "Please follow us. You must be made presentable before you meet with the _Myiannahet_."

"_Myiah_-what now?" John's eyebrow quirked.

"_Myiannahet_. Noble Woman," Kyrdas clarified.

"Ah." John looked over his shoulder at Jackson who looked like he was committing that fact to memory. After a moment the man's eyes lit up and he closed the distance between himself and John.

"Ask him why they use a few words of a, uh, a different language mixed in with English," Jackson asked him quietly.

John repeated the question to Kyrdas.

"I will try to explain as best I can, but you should ask Nidrah later. We, the Ahyderians have lived for many, many years. Over the course of time, our language, Ahydek has faded into nothing but a few words. I do not know why or how, unfortunately."

John clapped the man on the shoulder. "Well, we'll just have Nidrah fill in the blanks." He offered Kyrdas his most personable smile, which just made Kyrdas avert his eyes shyly. There was something about being worshipped that made his skin crawl. Clearing his throat, he looked up at one of the guards that flanked Teyla and himself. "So, uh, what kind of preparations are we going to have to make before meeting with Nidrah?" he asked.

"You must be dressed in the ceremonial fabrics."

"Well, that doesn't sound too awful. As long as we don't have to sacrifice a virgin or anything…" John shrugged.

Teyla gave him a strange look. "People did this on your planet?"

Dr. Jackson took this opportunity to launch into an explanation about old Earth cultures and rituals.

John listened with only half an ear as they continued on to the Ahyderian village.


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh, this is _so_ not what I had in mind when I heard 'ceremonial robes'," John muttered darkly.

When they had arrived in the Ahyderian village, John and Teyla were quickly ushered off to a tent. They were met by a group of insanely pretty men, who were also eunuchs, and were stripped naked behind privacy screens. Both he and Teyla were the recipients of a sponge bath given by two of the men. John could honestly say he had never felt so uncomfortable in his entire life. It was one thing that he was in a woman's body. It was an entirely separate and weird situation he was in now. He was too creeped out to even voice his protests. His mouth just kept opening and closing in silence.

After the entirely too long and awkward sponge bath, one of the pretty boys dressed him in a long skirt similar to that of Teyla's sparring skirt and a tight fitting leather top that couldn't really be called a top. The scrap of fabric was tied in the front and smooshed his boobs together. It was rather uncomfortable.

Now he and Teyla were sitting together in similar outfits getting their hair and makeup done. "These aren't even clothes!" he said to Teyla.

She didn't reply. She was too busy looking violated. But she didn't look near as violated as he felt. Her degree of violation was at the '_I went to the Doctor for a physical_' level. His was off the scale.

One of the pretty boys – Mednai – sat down in front of John, wielding a tool that looked like a paintbrush and a pot of something thick and black.

"Uh, Mednai, no face painting please." None of his protests thus far had stopped the blond in his process, and this one hadn't either.

Mednai offered a gentle, soft smile and dipped the brush in the pot. With swift, artistic movements, he painted a symbol into John's forehead.

John noticed that no one was painting Teyla's face. "Why am I the only one getting painted?" he asked the room.

"You are the _Myiah'Ur_. You must be marked as such," one of the other eunuchs answered.

"There's that word again," John muttered. He groaned, closing his eyes. Mednai took this chance to paint black streaks on his eyelids.

With the soft smile still in place, Mednai gently placed his hand on John's arm.

"Uh, what?" John looked from the hand to Mednai's face.

"I believe he wants you to stand," Teyla said after watching Mednai for a moment.

"Ah, yeah. Okay." John's eyebrows twitched and he stood slowly.

Mednai stayed on his knees in front of John, paintbrush in hand. He set the pot of paint on the floor and raised his now-empty hand to John's stomach. Lightly, just barely touching the Colonel's skin, the blond traced a symbol with his fingers. After, he retraced the same path with his paintbrush.

The bristles of the brush tickled and John's muscles contracted involuntarily. "Uh," he stammered nervously. And he thought he was at the pinnacle of uncomfortable before. "Can someone please tell him to stop? He doesn't seem to listen to me."

"Mednai is mute. He does not listen because he cannot listen," one of the other men replied.

Teyla hid her smile as John paled. Now that he had learned that fact, he couldn't even find the courage to voice his weak protests when Mednai began painting symbols and patterns on his exposed leg.

The entire time John and Teyla were being 'prepared' took two very long, arduous hours. By the time they were done, John just wanted to curl up in a hole somewhere far far away. He usually had a high tolerance level for embarrassment, but everything that happened today had seriously overstepped those bounds. He just wanted to get this meeting done with, have Jackson do some translating, then go home as his good 'ol masculine self.

~oOo~

It had been two hours and McKay was on everyone's nerves. Daniel and Ronon had been content just being silent and standing guard. Rodney had not.

"How much longer are they going to be?" Rodney demanded for the umpteenth time.

Finally, Ronon snapped and pulled his energy pistol. Daniel was surprised it had taken him this long.

"McKay, if you don't shut up, I will shoot you," Ronon growled darkly, "And I don't know what setting it's on."

A nervous giggle escaped Rodney's throat and he eyed Ronon's pistol. "You wouldn't."

"If he doesn't, I will," Daniel added. He was a little antsy as well, but years in the field had helped him learn the emotions of a solider. In other words, constantly look menacing and angry. He still hadn't mastered that, but he could at least hide his true feelings most of the time.

Sighing inwardly, Daniel shifted his stance. Colonel Sheppard and Teyla had been in there an awfully long time. He didn't feel as though anything bad would happen, but he was considering checking on them. "Okay, let's-" His sentence was cut off by a low, harmonic hum. Like a didgeridoo. Soon it was joined in by another one from the opposite side of the village. Daniel looked around to see what was going on and saw all of the men dropping to their knees. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen any women in this village.

The music continued as the flap of the tent Colonel Sheppard and Teyla had been ushered into opened. A young, thin blond came out of the tent, bowed and stepped to the side. Behind him, their friends exited the tent.

Daniel blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing properly, and stared open mouthed at the pair while McKay tried very hard to stifle the laughter that wanted to escape. It seemed the threat of being castrated and/or shot was still on his mind.

Colonel Sheppard was showing more skin than appropriate, as was Teyla, but the military man was painted with interesting patterns and symbols. All down his right leg, across his stomach and chest and in the middle of his forehead were dark brush strokes that stood out on his pale skin. He looked very much the part of a tribal leader or Noble.

"Ah, Colonel, we were just going to, um, come get you," Daniel said as they approached.

Sheppard looked at him from under his eyebrows.

"Colonel-" McKay began, but Sheppard cut him off.

"Not. One. _Goddamn_. Word," the man-turned-woman snarled. Showing he clearly wasn't in the mood, he turned back to their blond escort and followed silently behind him. Teyla, a little more hesitant, trailed a few steps behind.

Trying to hold back laughter, Daniel, McKay and Ronon followed. At a safe distance, of course.

Chewing thoughtfully on his bottom lip, Daniel watched the back of Sheppard's head. The Colonel turned and looked over his shoulder. The movement was so subtle he almost missed it, but the Colonel indicated for him to come forward. Daniel obliged.

"Colonel?" Daniel asked, coming up to walk behind him.

"Have you learned anything?" Sheppard asked, keeping his eyes ahead as they were led through rows of tents.

Daniel shook his head. "Other than what we already know…not much. All I can tell you is that there are no women around."

Sheppard's shoulders tensed. "Not that I'd ever admit this in front of McKay, but I'm starting to get worried. I really wouldn't make a good wife."

Daniel couldn't help but smile at that remark. It almost felt like he was still at home, on a regular mission under the then-Colonel Jack O'Neill. Sheppard hid his distress with humor the same way.

Falling back to stand with Rodney and Ronon, their group came to halt in front of the only permanent structure in the village. It was a large, flat-roofed building with large windows. It almost looked like an upturned box.

A dark haired man stopped in front of them. "Mednai will inform Nidrah of your arrival."

Their guide disappeared into the building, leaving the team relatively alone. They took this opportunity to talk.

"What's up with that blond kid?" McKay asked, looking everywhere but at Sheppard. He could look at Teyla easily enough, though. And did.

"That would be Mednai," John answered simply. He was looking everywhere his team wasn't.

"He is a very kind young man who has taken quite a shine to Colonel Sheppard," Teyla clarified.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "You're kidding! Another one? Sheesh. I've seen hotter women…"

Sheppard was not amused. "He's a eunuch, McKay. Just like you're going to be soon."

"Geeze, you must be freaked out. You're repeating threats."

Daniel was content to just watch the two men argue while Teyla and Ronon conversed quietly. He could see why McKay's hackles were up today. Well, more than usual, anyway. The first word that came to mind when one looked at Colonel Sheppard's new body was 'beautiful'. No one could deny that. For lack of a better phrase; it freaked them all out. No one could deny that, either.

As he observed Atlantis' flagship team, Mednai came back out of the building. Daniel wouldn't have noticed if not for his bright blond hair that stood out amongst the dark fabrics and woods of their surroundings. The young man grabbed Sheppard's arm, wearing an excited grin. Sheppard sighed heavily and followed Mednai inside.

The interior of the building was lush. The long hall they were being led down had thick braided rugs, animal pelts, tapestries and pottery lining the floor and walls. It looked like a mini castle, the way it was decorated. There was no distinct culture here. It was almost like a mishmash of a dozen Earth cultures. Daniel would have liked to observe and admire it more, but they were escorted into a large room. In the center of the room was an oversized chair, and in the chair sat an elderly woman. Nidrah, no doubt.

In a commanding voice that didn't suit her frail and sickly face, the woman spoke. "It has been many, many years since our Ancestors have blessed us like this. The _Fvet'Ur_ has not had a suitable male to make the next _Myiah'Ur_. Your people must be proud!"

Sheppard cleared his throat and replied. "Uh, not so much, actually. I would very much like to go back to my normal self, but we don't-"

"Not possible!"

"Not possible?" McKay spat out. Daniel knew he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut for very much longer.

"Silence, _tekdah_! You will not speak unless spoken too!" the woman growled.

One of the guards that had brought them to the village pushed Rodney to his knees and held him there.

Sheppard spared him a glance that said _Now will you listen when I tell you to do something?_ before he turned back to Nidrah. "Excuse me, but why isn't it possible?"

Slowly and painfully, the woman pushed herself to her feet. "Why do you not want this great gift bestowed upon you?" she asked in return. "Clearly you have superior genetics, or the _Fvet_ would not have chosen you. Why let that go to waste?"

Clearly Sheppard didn't know how to answer that, because his eyes went to the floor and he rubbed at his neck. "No offense, but my genes were just fine where they were," he finally answered.

Nidrah came to stand in front of him, looking up into his eyes. She studied him for a few silent, tense moments. "You are not Ahyderian, yet the blood of the Ancestors flows within you." She didn't give him the chance to answer before she turned to Teyla. "You are _Caydlile_. Natural. From where do you originate?"

"Athos," Teyla replied proudly.

"You are a leader, yes?"

"Yes."

Nidrah turned back to Sheppard, glaring up at him. "You could learn much from her. Women are meant to be leaders!"

Sheppard had gone eerily still and silent. Everyone was watching him, Daniel included. It was a damn good thing, too, because without word or warning, Sheppard's knees gave out and he fell backwards. Daniel was standing close enough that he caught him and lowered him to the ground.

"Colonel! What happened?" Teyla was on her knees beside him, looking at Daniel.

"We need to get him to Beckett," Daniel replied calmly, checking his pulse. It was steady.

Mednai was at John's side as well, holding onto his hand and looking very distressed.

Teyla looked up at Nidrah. "We need to get him medical care."

"Yes, of course," Nidrah answered. She looked concerned for a brief moment before she turned and left through a side door.

"Ronon," Daniel looked up at the big man who nodded and scooped the Colonel off the floor. Mednai did not let go.

"What should we do about him?" Rodney asked in a panicky and slightly angry voice.

"Bring him. We gotta get Sheppard to Atlantis either way," Daniel answered, leading the team at a run out of the building. They didn't have time to deal with the distressed boy. Daniel wasn't sure how long Colonel Sheppard's heart rate would remain steady.


	8. Chapter 8

Daniel looked down through the glass separating the observation room and the isolated emergency room. Colonel Sheppard lay prone on the bed. The young man that had come back with them was standing at the glass, hands pressed flat on the surface, silent tears welling up in his eyes. For a while, he had clutched at Teyla's arm, but she had managed to pass him off to a nurse.

Slipping his hands into his pockets, Daniel puffed out a sigh. He wasn't getting much done here. Mednai was no help. Daniel tried sign language with him, but that didn't work, nor did any other forms of communication he tried. The young man had gotten fed up with Daniel and went back to fussing about John.

Behind him, Daniel heard the door to the observation room hiss open. He turned away from the glass to greet Dr. Beckett and Dr. Weir.

"How's he doing?" Daniel asked, more out of curiosity than actual concern.

"Not well, I'm afraid," Beckett answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "The abrupt change in his physiology is taking its toll. It wasn't just a physical change, either. Colonel Sheppard will have moments of lucidity and consciousness, but they'll become fewer and fewer until his body just gives out. If this doesn't get reversed, I estimate he could die by weeks end."

Daniel nodded gravely. That gave them four days to figure this out. He needed to go down to the obelisk himself. It would be easier than trying to get the answers from Nidrah. He frowned at his feet as Weir and Beckett stood before him in silence.

"Did you learn anything from him?" Weir eventually asked, nodding in Mednai's direction.

Daniel shook his head. "He won't pay attention to me long enough to make any progress. He's worried about Colonel Sheppard. Women are revered in their culture, and since Sheppard and Teyla are only the second and third he's ever seen, he's really not sure what to do." He shrugged, glancing over his shoulder at the blond. Mednai was looking back, a mixture of excitement and concern on his features. Daniel raised his eyebrows at the young man as he practically ran over to Daniel, grabbed his sleeve and tugged him toward the big window. Down below, John was awake, rubbing his hands over his face.

Daniel reached over and pushed the button for the intercom. "How're you feeling, Colonel?" he asked.

"_I will never get used to lying on my back with these things…_" he grumbled.

Daniel shook his head as Beckett and Weir tried to stifle their amusement.

"_Why am I in isolation?_" Sheppard asked, slowly pushing himself into a sitting position and looking up at Daniel.

"'Fraid it was the only bed available, Colonel. Had a wee bit of an accident on one of the piers earlier today, so the infirmary is full up," explained Dr. Beckett. "Just some minor wounds, so don't look so worried."

"_At the moment, Doc, that's the last thing I'm worried about. You may want to come down here._"

Frowning, Beckett took off, leaving Daniel, Weir and Mednai to stare down at Sheppard.

~oOo~

John's pulse was thumping in his ears. He didn't normally panic, but when this much blood was spilling from his body, it was hard not to. The mattress and sheets were saturated, his thighs were sticky and he had a really bad feeling that he knew just where the blood was coming from. This should _not_ be happening.

Dr. Beckett rushed into the room a few seconds later. "What's—dear God! What happened?" He hurried over to the side of the bed, seeing the blood soaking through the sheet.

"Something that should never, ever have happened. And it's happening in a big way," grumbled John, feeling utterly humiliated.

"Oh, I…see…Well, um, let's get you back under the scanner and find out why this is happening. I didn't think the change was quite this extensive," Beckett replied, trying to be professional about the issue, but still blushing right to his ears.

"I can walk, but…my insides aren't gonna fall out if I stand up, will they?"

"Goodness, no! You might make a mess of the floor with it coming out at this rate though." Beckett frowned. "Might be better just to wheel you there."

John nodded in agreement. "Oh, and Doc?"

"Mm?"

"Not one word of this to anyone. If McKay finds out, I'm a dead man."

"He won't hear it from me, that's for sure!" Beckett draped a blanket over John's lap to cover the blood stain and started pushing the bed out of the room. The wheels rolled smoothly across the floor, yet the bed still rattled under him. Staring up at the ceiling as he was being wheeled to the infirmary, John took stock of himself. Besides the strangeness of his new bits, at the moment he really didn't feel too bad. Odd, considering the amount of blood that was gushing from him. Then again, he had passed out for the third time in the last couple of days and he may have been unconscious through the worst of it.

When John's thoughts came back to the here and now, the scanner was already humming quietly above him. Dr. Beckett was frowning at a monitor and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elizabeth, Jackson and that Mednai kid hovering nearby.

"Why's the kid here?" John asked, turning his head to look at Beckett.

"He wouldna let you go. Was still clinging tae your arm when they brought you in."

"Oh, jeez." John rolled his eyes. "So, what's goin' on, Doc?" The scanner stopped and John pushed himself up onto his elbows.

Beckett straightened up and sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I've got good news and bad news."

John nodded, waiting.

"The good news is that it looks like the bleeding has stopped for now. The bad news is that it won't be very long before it happens again. What happened was your body went through an entire monthly cycle in a matter of hours. What normally should have taken a few days happened all at once, which is why there is so much blood.

"Your system is breaking down faster than I anticipated, Colonel. It's like your body is trying to catch up to the sudden change by doing everything all at once…"

John let out a sigh. "I need to go back down to the planet. I'm not going to stay locked up in the infirmary and wait to die."

It was Beckett's turn to sigh. "I figured as much. I know it'd be impossible to keep you here, son, even though you're just going to speed up the damage with the exertion. You're risking your life, Colonel."

"I'm a dead man either way." John could see that Beckett wasn't happy about this, but he knew that forcing John to stay here at a time like this would just end with him escaping and doing what he wanted anyway.

"I'll release you on the one condition that you come back the instant you feel any pain or if you get any new symptoms," Beckett finally conceded.

John nodded. "Deal." Gathering up the blanket and wrapping it around his waist, he got up and was almost knocked back on his ass by Mednai. The kid, who only came up to his shoulder, had his arms wrapped around John's waist, looking up at him with bright eyes.

"You've got a fan," Elizabeth said, approaching them. She was smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Yeah, I see that," John muttered uncomfortably.

"We wouldn't have brought him here, but he refused to let go," added Jackson, standing casually with his hands in his pockets.

"Did you at least get some information from him?"

Jackson shook his head. "He didn't understand sign language and he wouldn't pay attention to me long enough to try anything else."

"Maybe he reads lips? The other guys seemed to be able to communicate with him somehow." John looked down at Mednai, who was still securely attached to his waist. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" he asked slowly, enunciating each syllable.

Mednai nodded enthusiastically.

John looked up and smiled. "See?" He looked back down at Mednai. "I need you to go with Dr. Jackson and answer his questions, okay?"

Mednai scowled and shook his head. He squeezed John tighter.

"Doesnae look like he wants tae leave you alone," Beckett said.

John rolled his eyes and grabbed the boy's shoulders, pushing him away. "Look, I won't be gone long, and it would be very helpful to me if you went with Dr. Jackson, okay?"

The scowl stayed in place.

"Please?"

Very reluctantly, Mednai nodded, turned away and trudged over to Jackson.

John looked up at Dr. Jackson. "You've got an hour," he said before leaving the infirmary. He was glad to escape to his room, to the quiet and solitude. He hadn't had a second to himself since this all started, but now that he was alone, he was thinking that being alone wasn't that great right now. It was giving him time to notice each and every difference with his mind and body. His shower was possibly one of the most awkward experiences of his life. Once he was clean, he got dressed in his new temporary uniform and headed up to the catwalks. He tried going for a run, but after about fifty meters, he changed his mind. Even exercise was awkward.

There was no doubt in John's mind that both Teyla and Weir were amused by his clumsiness in his new body, but he didn't find any of it the slightest bit funny. Then again, he might think differently if it had happened to someone else.

John frowned. Why would a race of people have a device like that? What sort of man with any pride would undergo this change willingly? It wasn't his place to judge another culture, and he thought of himself as pretty open-minded, but it was all just too weird. And there was that one man who had said the obelisk hadn't been active in a long time. Why? No volunteers? Too many deaths due to the transformation? Everyone seemed to know what the device was for, but not how to work it. The villagers didn't exactly look advanced. Obviously it was from some past civilization, but there still had to be clues left behind explaining it, right?

Sighing, John started to head back to the central tower and eventually, the conference room. He ignored a cat call from one of the younger marines as he walked. He couldn't have been happier when Ronon joined him in the hall. He felt bad using the big guy as a buffer, but it was better than being leered at.

"Anything interesting happen while I was unconscious yet again?" he asked, having trouble keeping Ronon's pace.

Ronon shrugged. "Not really. Teyla and McKay have been getting a lot of questions."

John raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Who's the new woman? Where's Sheppard? Stuff like that."

"Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later."

Ronon nodded.

They fell into a companionable silence as they walked through the corridors. For once, John was glad for the wide berth people still granted the big Satedan. He almost laughed when Ronon sent a guy practically running away just from a look.

"This was funny at first, but it's getting annoying," Ronon growled.

"People running from you?"

"No, their reactions to you."

That honestly surprised John.

"Even McKay has stopped making jokes," Ronon added.

"Seriously? That's not a good sign."

The big guy didn't answer. They had reached the conference room with Weir, Teyla, Rodney and Dr. Jackson waiting for them inside.

"Let's get this over with," muttered John, leading Ronon into the big room. The doors folded shut and the meeting started.


	9. Chapter 9

"Once I got him to start answering questions, he was quite the fountain of information," Daniel said, hands shuffling through pages of handwritten information. "People talk around him, thinking he isn't paying attention, so he knows a lot more than he should."

"Did you learn anything about the obelisk?" sighed Sheppard, propping his chin in his hands. He looked ready to fall asleep.

Daniel nodded. "He couldn't identify any of the symbols you drew for me, but he did give me some useful info. Before the Wraith, apparently their people were highly evolved, almost like the Ancients. They had great cities, libraries, laboratories…Mednai told me he had seen drawings of the cities and heard whispers of the ruins of those cities. Occasionally people will journey away from the village, be gone for months, but come back with some artifact or other. I think that if I can get to one of these fallen cities, I might be able to find some information about the lost language. A reference point to help me decipher the text you saw, Colonel. So far, I only have two or three spoken words to go on, but I need to see something written."

"In case you've forgotten, Doctor, we don't have months to _walk_ to some city ruins. We barely have days," McKay pointed out. "And we can't take a Jumper because of the EM field. I've been monitoring the anomalous readings and the fluctuations have completely stopped since the obelisk was activated. There's a solid field now, so we don't even have a slim window in which we can try to take a Jumper through."

"But you can shut it down, right?" Daniel asked, playing into McKay's ego.

"Of course I can shut it down! It's just a question of them letting me near the damn thing."

"It's too dangerous," Elizabeth replied calmly.

"Not if we only send Sheppard, McKay and Teyla. McKay is clearly unaffected by the obelisk, it's already done its damage to Colonel Sheppard, and it can't change Teyla. Go back and do what you originally intended to do; shut down the EM field," Daniel explained.

Elizabeth frowned. "I don't know…"

"Actually, he's right," McKay admitted, looking like it was physically painful to do so. "It's already done what it's going to do. Just as long as no one else goes near it until I say, it should be perfectly safe."

"You've said that before," mumbled Sheppard.

McKay shot him a glare.

Elizabeth leaned forward, folding her hands on the table before her. "It's up to you on this one, John. Personally I don't think _you_ should be going anywhere, but I know better than to think you'd listen if I told you to stay. It's a dangerous situation, but we don't have any other options."

"I say we do it." Sheppard sat up straight, looking at Elizabeth.

She nodded. "Okay."

And that was that. Daniel watched everyone rise from their seats, already mentally preparing for another trip through the Stargate. Things here weren't so different from home, really. Shrugging to himself, Daniel got up and went to prepare as well.

~oOo~

"Teyla, I want you to take Mednai home. I'll stay here with McKay," said John as they walked away from the Stargate.

"Are you sure he will go?" Teyla asked, looking down at the boy. He seemed quite content to hold onto John's vest.

"Probably not without some begging on my part," John replied. "Still, he's gotta go." He shook his head and looked down at Mednai. The kid had a fist wrapped around a strap on his vest, tagging along cheerfully.

"At least you are not trying to send him with Rodney. He certainly would not leave if that was the case." Teyla exchanged a smile with Mednai.

John laughed. Mednai did seem to have a particular aversion to McKay, but he didn't seem to mind Ronon or Dr. Jackson after spending time with him. Then again, most people didn't really get along well with Rodney. But it was his own fault.

Shaking his head, John looked up and saw the top of the obelisk over the trees. Rodney was about twenty paces ahead, carrying his pack full of equipment. John stopped walking, took Mednai's shoulders and looked down at him.

"I need you to go with Teyla, okay?" he said slowly.

Big crocodile tears spilled silently from Mednai's eyes and he looked positively crushed.

John rolled his eyes. "Oh, jeez. Teyla?" he looked up at the woman for help.

Shaking her head and grinning at John, she knelt in front of Mednai. She spoke softly to him, not needing volume since he was reading her lips. He sniffled loudly and wiped his eyes, nodding at her. She smiled and said something else. His eyes brightened as he glanced at John, and then nodded again at Teyla.

John quirked an eyebrow at Teyla when she stood up again.

"I told him you would spend time with him when you got back to the village," she said with a shrug.

"You mean you just lied to him?"

Teyla shook her head. "No, I fully expect you to do so, but he will just have to be content with the real you." She smiled at John before turning away, Mednai in tow.

Sighing, John jogged a few steps to catch up with Rodney. The scientist glanced over his shoulder briefly and then looked back at the obelisk.

"Done playing mommy for the day?" quipped McKay.

"Hey, at least kids like me," John answered.

"I don't _want_ kids to like me. Besides, he's not even a kid, he's at least fifteen."

John just shrugged.

"Looks like the screen is still active," Rodney said when they reached the _Fvet'Ur_. The panel he had been shuffling through was still open as well.

"Unless it has something to do with shutting down the EM field, ignore it," said John, giving the scrolling text a sideways glance.

Rodney huffed and took his pack off his shoulders. He sat on the ground as he opened his pack and started littering the surrounding area with gear.

With casual but alert steps, John wandered away, walking the perimeter of the clearing. He didn't expect anyone to show up other than Teyla, but it never hurt to be cautious.

After almost twenty minutes of pacing, John felt a wave of nausea creeping up on him and some particularly painful cramping, so he sat on the ground near where McKay was working.

"Are you almost finished?" grumbled John, stretching his legs out before him. He rest his hands on his stomach, his P90 placed deceptively casually.

There was a muffled reply from within the panel where Rodney was in up to his waist in crystals, wires and various other things. A hand came out and patted around on the ground, grabbed a tool and disappeared into the hole again.

"Well, that was informative…" John rolled his eyes. Crossing his ankles, he puffed out a sigh.

"What was informative?" Teyla asked as she approached John, Mednai free.

"Rodney…"

Teyla smiled knowingly, standing at John's feet. "Has he made any progress?"

John was about to open his mouth to reply when Rodney unearthed himself from the panel. He sat back on his heels, hands on his hips as he frowned at the innards of the panel.

"I'm going to take that as a no," answered John. "What's up?"

"This thing is more complicated than I originally thought. I have no screens to look at, no real way of knowing if what I'm doing is actually _doing_ anything," grumbled McKay.

"That sounds unusually defeatist for you, McKay."

"I didn't say I _couldn't_ do it, I just said it was harder than I figured it'd be." He leaned forward and wiggled a couple of wires, pulling one loose.

"Just get on with it. I want to get this over with while I'm still upright." John pushed himself to his feet again and resumed pacing. This time he had Teyla for company.

As they made their perimeter, John had to stop more times than he cared, always making some excuse. He tried to hide that he was in pain, but Teyla knew him better than that. Even Rodney stopped to give him a suspicious glance every now and then. That was not reassuring. It was bad enough that he had to discreetly rush Rodney even more than normal, not just due to the fact that be might die by the end of the week, but to prevent his own humiliation. Beckett told him before they left that he had seven to eight hours tops before the bleeding started again. He wanted to be back at Atlantis by then because McKay _did not_ need to know.

John checked his watch; it had been four hours since they got here. McKay had started muttering to himself about a half an hour ago and John wasn't entirely sure what to think about that. The scientist would frown, mutter something, make a few adjustments, sit back on his heels and frown some more. After about an hour of this, John's temper got the better of him.

"What the hell is taking so damn long?"

McKay got to his feet, wiping his hands on his pants even though there wasn't any dirt on them. He looked up at the colonel with a mixture of impatience, annoyance and a touch of worry on his face. "Honestly, I'm working as fast as I can. I've never seen some of this tech before and I'm working without a guideline, here! You're welcome to give it a shot." Rodney stepped back, making a sweeping arc with one hand in the direction of the panel.

Growling, John took a few short strides toward McKay before stopping himself. It felt like a physical effort not to punch the man in the face. "In case you've forgotten, McKay, I might die soon. The sooner you shut down the field, the better. And not just for the sake of _my_ health," he grumbled instead.

Luckily for McKay, he didn't say anything as he went back to work. Grumbling, John walked away from Rodney, his hands clenching and unclenching.

"John, you must calm down. Rodney is working as quickly as he can," Teyla said when they were out of Rodney's earshot. She put a gentle hand on the colonel's shoulder and stared into his eyes. John took a deep breath, exhaling slowing. Pulling away, he walked back to the obelisk and looked at the screen. He was no closer to reading it now than the first time he saw the thing. He was pissed off, worried and downright terrified. It was weighing heavily on him.

"I know you are upset, Colonel, but it will only cloud your mind." Teyla said to his back.

"Upset barely scrapes the surface, Teyla," he replied, looking at his reflection in the shiny surface of the obelisk. He hadn't really taken the time to look in a mirror since this all started. He was floored by what he saw now. The person looking back at him was certainly beautiful with long, thick hair, bright eyes lined with dark lashes and an enormous chest that wasn't even hidden by the TAC vest. If it wasn't his own reflection, he'd be hitting on her, too. That thought kind of nauseated him.

Shaking his head, he moved away from the obelisk. He had to swallow back the bile that had risen in his throat.

"How are you feeling, Colonel?" Teyla asked him quietly.

"I feel like barfing," he admitted with a sigh. He wanted to crawl into bed and not come out until this was over. He looked at his watch again. If he didn't get back to Atlantis soon, he'd have to explain a puddle of blood to McKay and Teyla.

An electronic whine, high pitched at first but dying, filled the air. John and Teyla turned toward McKay, noticing the grin on his face.

"Voila," he said simply.

John shook his head and went to help Rodney to his feet. "Can we go home now?"

Rodney frowned. "You're welcome."


	10. Chapter 10

John left Rodney telling Elizabeth just how he shut down the EM field while he disappeared to his room. The pain was getting so bad he could barely stand, let alone carry on a conversation. Some part of his new anatomy was feeling really weird, so he decided to strip to his skivvies before he ruined the only uniform he had that fit. He was halfway across his room when he felt the first trickle run down his thigh. It didn't stay a trickle for very long, instead turning into something more like a stream. His gut clenched, sending him to his knees. He waited out the pain and bleeding, took a deep breath and pushed himself back to his feet. Glancing down at the mess, he sighed and went to clean himself up before cleaning the floor. He really hoped Jackson would find something useful when they departed; he couldn't take much more of this.

It was almost an hour before John met up with the others in the Jumper bay. Rodney gave him a funny look, Teyla gave him a slight not, Ronon remained silent and Jackson did a little finger wave.

"So, what's our first stop?" John asked Jackson, sliding into the pilot's chair. He had to coax the Jumper into working order and it made him nervous.

"North east of the village there should be ruins. I want to start there," Jackson answered.

Nodding, John looked at the Jumper's console, struggling through the normally simple pre-flight checks. Jumper One didn't seem to like the change any more than he did.

"The natives didn't really strike me as the sharing type. Won't they be a little annoyed with us traipsing around in their backyard?" asked Rodney, taking a seat behind John.

"Unless they've got someone watching the 'gate, they won't even know we're there," John replied as the Jumper got into position before the 'gate.

"It wouldn't be the first time annoyed natives got violent because I was poking around," said Jackson, pushing his glasses up on his nose. His tone was light and he smirked briefly.

"Let us hope it does not come to that," Teyla said, her tone light as well. The group fell silent, contemplating a fight with the men of the village, or other Ahyderians. The silence stayed with them as the Puddle Jumper carried them through the Stargate.

John cloaked the Jumper as soon as they emerged on the planet, just in case. He didn't feel as though they needed it because it wasn't like the villagers could follow them anyway, but it was still standard safety precaution.

"What exactly are we looking for?" John asked, pulling the Jumper a little higher as they headed northeast.

"Other than the ruins of an old city, I won't really know until I find it. Some sort of reference point like books or a database where it's all written," Jackson replied, watching the forest fly by beneath them.

"There may not be much left, Dr. Jackson," Teyla said. "When the Wraith destroy cities, the explosions they cause burn quickly through buildings."

Jackson smiled over his shoulder at her. "There's always something left. Some place where fire can't get to it."

Rodney snorted through his nose. Everyone ignored him.

"Besides, I've had less to go on than this," Jackson now said, turning his attention back to the landscape outside. "Plus I don't have to decipher the entire language, just enough so we can work the _Fvet'Ur_."

"Which I could do anyway if you'd just give me a little time with it," complained Rodney.

"And risk you accidentally triggering a self-destruct mechanism? No thanks." John frowned as he looked out across the continent below. Lots of trees and mostly flat fields with a few cliffs and valleys throw in for variation. At this altitude, he could barely see an ocean in the far distance. Trails of smoke from cooking fires drifted on the wind, but there were surprisingly few settlements.

"John, over there." Teyla leaned forward in her seat, pointing to something in the left corner of his field of vision. Ronon came up from the back to see what they were looking at.

John pulled the Jumper towards what Teyla pointed out and could almost feel Dr. Jackson's excitement when the city came into view. Buildings that used to be no taller than five or six stories lay in charred ruin, bricks and rubble in piles spilling across cobble roads. Glass littered the ground, sparkling in the dual sunlight and everywhere they could see, plant life was doing a good job of reclaiming the area.

Setting the Jumper down in an empty lot next to a huge brick building, the team grabbed their gear and headed outside.

"Remember where we parked," said John, slipping the remote into a pocket of his vest. The formerly white brick building before them was the most official thing John had seen from the sky, so that's where they agreed to start. It had a gaping hole in the rear side and the windows were all blown out, but it appeared mostly stable.

"This will go faster if we split up," Jackson commented, heading up the stairs to the door.

John had every intention of saying no, but when he pushed open a swollen wooden door and saw just how big the interior was, he changed his mind. "No arguments here. Teyla and Ronon, take McKay upstairs and start working your way down. Dr. Jackson and I will work up and hopefully we'll meet in the middle somewhere. Keep in radio contact and be careful. Don't want anyone ending up with broken bones because they weren't watching their step," he told his team. Teyla nodded, Rodney grumbled something under his breath and Ronon just turned and headed for the giant staircase. When he turned back to Dr. Jackson, the man had already wandered off. It took a couple seconds to spot him in the gloom, but once he did, he easily caught up to him.

"Looks like there could be a couple of offices back here," Jackson said, stepping over a pile of rubble. Four doorways were set into the back wall of the lobby, only two had doors still attached. He moved to one door and tried to open it, but even with their combined weight, it wouldn't budge. The second door took a little coaxing, but eventually it opened with a loud protest of rusty hinges.

"You said people occasionally brought things back to the village when they came here, right?" John asked after a couple of minutes of silence as they shuffled through a desk and a couple cabinets.

"Yeah. It's entirely likely that someone brought back a book or something, but I thought it would be easier to look for ourselves," replied Jackson, tipping a wooden crate with the toe of his boot.

"You're probably right about that. I was just thinking since McKay fiddling with the thing is a last resort, we could always search the village if we don't turn anything up here."

Jackson smirked at John, heading back into the lobby. "We won't ever have to get to the point of McKay fiddling with it, Colonel. Like I said, I've gone on a lot less in the past. Granted, it was _my_ butt on the line—learn the language or die—but I'm pretty sure Jack would ban me from Atlantis if you died because of my mistake, so I'm not about to let that happen," he teased.

"Glad someone has my best interests at heart," John muttered back, even though a small smile curled the corner of his mouth. "Pretty sure we won't be finding much of anything on this floor, so let's head up." He panned his light over the empty lobby. There were some empty shelves, a couple of crumbled statues and something that looked like a reception area, but he didn't see anything important after a quick walkthrough.

Jackson led the way up the stairs, pretending he wasn't going slowly for John's sake and John pretended he didn't notice. Truthfully, he probably couldn't have run up them anyway between the cramping and his anatomical anomalies.

Sighing to himself, John looked around at the many doors on the second floor. This floor looked down on the ground floor, the rooms lining perimeter of the building. Thankfully a few rooms were caved in, so they didn't have to spend an eternity searching every one of them. He pushed open the door to a room about halfway between the far wall and the staircase and his eyebrows met his hairline.

"Let's hope that whatever made that web is long dead," he said to Jackson as they entered the room. The web in question took up one side of the big room, attached to the ceiling and floor, as well as a few pieces of furniture.

"No kidding," replied Jackson, his own eyes wide. His attention didn't linger on it for very long however, as his eyes were drawn to a computer console of some sort. It had a thin, crystalline sheet that looked like it could be used as a screen, and it was attached to a dome that was about the size of one of Ronon's fists.

John paced the room while Jackson looked for a way to turn the computer on. While big, the office was sparse, anything that had been there either looted or destroyed. Everywhere he looked the walls were scorched, occasionally accented with a splatter of blood that had long since dried. The floor was littered with debris, glass crunching under every bootstep. There were no bodies left behind, no skeletons or bones at all.

"I can't even find an _on_ switch," Jackson eventually complained, straightening up and readjusting his glasses.

"Maybe there isn't one," John replied, leaning over the desk and grabbing the dome-base. He intended to only look at it, but the screen lit up obediently, no doubt activated by his Ancient gene.

Jackson glanced at John, eyebrows rising. "I guess that's one way of doing it," he said, looking back at the crystalline screen.

John shrugged and let Jackson get to work. Holographic images floated away from the screen, symbols similar to the ones on the obelisk scrolling by in columns. Jackson put his finger to the hologram, making the screen change. He did this a few times, each time a new series of floating symbols floated off the screen.

"Any of these look familiar?" Jackson asked, looking up at John.

John frowned at the symbols as they scrolled by. "Similar, but none of them are exact…Wait, that one there," he said, pointing to a picture of two upside down crescents with two small circles underneath.

Jackson poked the hologram and the symbol was enlarged. It pulsed for a second before spinning away and displaying another page, this time with written text.

"Now this is something I can work with," Jackson muttered to himself, leaning forward a little. "I recognize _Fvet_, _Ur_, _myiah_ and _myiannah_…let's see. I think this says 'the holy tower will create woman'. Um _tekdah ei deschell tah_ could mean men are abundant or men are primary…" Jackson continued to mumble to himself as he translated, occasionally scowling in silence at the holographic images.

John got bored of pacing and perched on the edge of the desk. He reached up and clicked his radio. "Teyla, you guys find anything useful?" he asked.

A couple of seconds ticked by before she answered. "_Nothing. So far everything appears to have been removed or destroyed._"

"We might have something here, but keep looking anyway." Letting his hand fall back onto his gun, he heard Teyla's affirmative along with what sounded like part of a tirade from McKay across the radio. He looked over his shoulder at Jackson, who had produced a notebook and pen from one of his pockets and was busy scribbling down notes.

"Oh…" he said, frowning and standing up straight.

"Oh?" John looked at the man with raised eyebrows.

"Oh," Jackson repeated. "You are very lucky to be alive right now."

"That doesn't sound good…"

"You aren't going to like this at all…"

John slowly got to his feet, ready to hear the worst when the distinct rattle of gunfire filled the still air.


	11. Chapter 11

Teyla was doing her very best to ignore Rodney, but it was not proving very easy this time. The brilliant scientist had a knack for saying the wrong thing and today was no different.

"At this rate he's going to end up dead before we even find Dr. Jackson's reference guide," he grumbled, shifting through another stack of useless papers.

"Maybe if you spent less time talking, McKay," Ronon growled at him.

"Maybe if you'd help instead of standing there," Rodney grumbled back. "I'm only finding more useless symbols anyway." Standing up straight, he took a few steps backward and bumped into a stack of rotting wooden crates. With a loud clatter, the crates hit the floor, all the contents spilling out. Rodney winced.

"There is still much of this floor left to check," Teyla said with a sigh as she looked at her companions. "Colonel Sheppard's life depends on us finding something that Dr. Jackson can use."

"Yeah, I know," mumbled Rodney. His tone admitted how worried he was even if he didn't say the words. He refused to even meet her gaze as he shuffled through another stack of decaying paper.

After a couple more minutes of this, Teyla determined they would find nothing in this room and ushered Rodney and Ronon down the hall. The next room was similar to the last three they had been in only in the fact that discarded books and piles of paper littered most of the floor space.

"If anything is here, it'll be in this room," Rodney said, glancing around. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling. The room was two floors and would have been magnificent once, before the corner of the building was destroyed. Sunlight poured into the room, showing them just how much work they had ahead of them.

Teyla was just about to notify John on their find when there was movement in the cover of the room. She and Ronon readied their weapons and Rodney stepped behind them even though he had a gun as well.

The movement continued for a few seconds until a pile of books spilled out into the room, a large, shadowy shape pushing them out of the way.

"What the hell is that?" Rodney almost squeaked, his eyes wide.

From the shadows emerged an enormous, hairy body with eight gangly, multi-jointed legs, many beady eyes, and long gnashing mandibles. It was a spider roughly the size of the Puddle Jumper.

Ronon was the first to fire on it, the energy blast from his pistol striking one of the larger eyes. Letting out a low growl, the beast charged at them, its speed disproportionate to its size. Strands of venomous mucus dripped from its mandibles, flying off as it moved.

Teyla had to grab Rodney and pull him aside before he was flattened by the monstrous spider. When she was sure he was safe for the moment, she opened fire. The echoes of gunfire startled a flock of some sort of bird, but their flight barely registered with Teyla as she dodged a massive, hairy leg. A plop of mucus landed where she had been, sizzling into the floor.

Ronon was surviving his own close calls. The spider spit at him, the toxic ball burning through the wall. It let out another growl, this time louder. It reared up and stomped down, making the floor shudder under their feet. Ronon stumbled, but caught himself before the spider noticed. Sprinting across the room, he shot at it, trying to pull its attention away from Rodney and Teyla.

As they battled the monstrosity, more gunfire joined in and Teyla glanced over to see John and Dr. Jackson firing up at the beast. Both of them were running and gunning, drawing attention to themselves. Confused and angry, the spider reared up again, catching John in the gut with one leg and throwing him against a shelf. It was a lucky catch for the spider, because it was slowing down from the barrage of bullets and energy bolts drilling into its flesh.

Strings of the toxic mucus dripped, almost streamed from its mandibles. The left one was ruined, blood mixing with the viscous fluid. It tried to spit another acid ball at John as he was pulling himself to his feet, but its aim was off due to half of its eyes being destroyed. The creature slipped in a puddle it created, stumbling and falling to one side. This gave the team a good chance to pepper bullets into its belly. It screamed in anguish as the team fired on it. The remainder of its legs couldn't hold its weight any longer and it collapsed, falling to the floor with a wet, heavy thump.

"Everyone okay?" John asked, stepping up beside Ronon and rubbing his belly. He looked at each one of them as they nodded. Rodney was even more pale than usual.

"That must be what made the web we saw," Dr. Jackson said, raising his eyebrows at the dead spider."

"Probably a good guess. Looks like you guys stumbled on quite the find," John replied, tilting his head back to look up at the rows of books. "Don't suppose you were gonna let us in on this?"

"I was about to when we were attacked," answered Teyla.

"It isn't guaranteed we'll even find anything. I've already been through stacks of books and haven't found a thing," complained Rodney, taking a wide berth around the carcass.

"Actually, I think I've already got what I need." Dr. Jackson looked down at his boots, glancing up at them from under his eyebrows.

John saw that Rodney was about to launch into a full-blown tirade and cut him off with a glare. "Right. You were about to tell me something before we came to help."

"Yeah, about that…" Dr. Jackson pushed his glasses up his nose and frowned at the floor.

"I've gotten bad news before, Jackson. Just tell me," said John, leaning on one leg as he looked at Jackson.

"If what I read is correct, you should be dead by now. The birth rate for females is less than half a percent here, so the _Fvet'Ur_ was created. Men with superior genetics are chosen every year and used as guinea pigs of a sort—changed into women. Half of them are, anyway. The other half are used for genetic material. The women are usually impregnated within hours of the transformation and their bodies regulate the hormonal and physiological fluctuations. If the woman can't conceive for whatever reason, she ends up bleeding to death.

"After the women give birth, they change back within twenty four hours." Looking up, Dr. Jackson was almost amused by the horrified expression on Rodney's face.

"It didn't give you any hints on how to reverse it without the whole baby thing?" John asked after a moment, his voice cracking slightly.

Dr. Jackson shook his head. "There could be more, though. I did sorta leave in the middle of reading the logs."

"If you can miraculously decipher the language now, we should just go back to the obelisk and deal with it from there," Rodney said after a moment of silence.

Sighing, John looked around at the books. There may be something they could learn here, but going through them would take more time than he had to spare. Eventually, he nodded.

"If you think you've got a good grip on the language, Dr. Jackson, then let's head back to the Jumper." Glancing back at the monstrous spider carcass, John led the team out of the room. The creature's thunderous movements had caused some collateral damage outside the library. The already fragile stairs had crumbled in spots and it was slow, careful work getting back to the lobby. Any time John felt a cramp or a twinge of pain, he pretended he was concentrating on his footing. He knew the others didn't buy the act for one minute, but it was better than admitting he wanted to sit down and not get up again.

"How long do you think you'll need at the tower, Dr. Jackson?" John started to ask as they headed back outside. He stopped, momentarily surprised when he saw the line of men pointing not-so-primitive looking weapons at them. He raised his weapon, along with the rest of the team. "Didn't expect to see any other Ahyderians here."

"Who are you?" asked the man John guessed was the leader. He was a tall, lean man with dark hair and the most piercing blue eyes John had ever seen.

Like he was falling back into old routine, Dr. Jackson stepped forward, hands raised slightly, palms out. "I'm Daniel, this is Colonel Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon and Dr. McKay. We came through the Stargate," he said, as though that would make it all okay.

The man narrowed his eyes as he slowly lowered his weapon. Taking a few steps forward, he shook his head. "No, you are _Dehmi_."

Eyes wide, John looked to Daniel for translation.

"Uh…cursed? No, half-gendered. I think. _Mi_ being feminine, I'm guessing," answered Daniel.

"Yes. Half-gendered. The work of that damn tower," sighed the man, looking at his men and telling them to lower their weapons.

John did the same with his own team. "How can you tell?"

"I've seen it happen far too often, my friend. You move awkwardly and I can see pain in your eyes."

Rodney decided to interrupt at that moment. He cleared his throat, stepping forward. "I'm sorry, and you are?" he half-demanded.

Stopping before John, the man extended his hand and grinned with blindingly white teeth. "I am Edrah."

Taking the hand, John smiled back. "John."

Finally slipping his stick looking weapon back into a holster hanging loosely around his hips, Edrah crossed his arms. The baggy sleeves of his linen shirt bunched up at his elbows. "I am very sorry about your situation, John. I didn't think the tower still functioned."

John propped his hands on his P90 in a casual but ready position. "Yeah, I've been told I got the _honor_ of being the first…what was it called?"

"_Miyah'Ur_," replied Daniel.

"Yeah, I'm the first in a long time," he finished with a pinched smile.

"If you ask me, that abomination needs to be destroyed," said Edrah, spitting on the ground.

"Clearly you do not view it like the others we met," Teyla said, stepping up next to John while Daniel went and made friends with four other men in Edrah's party.

"None of us do," Edrah replied with a sweeping gesture toward the others. "That is why we do not live by the Portal."

"We didn't think anyone would even be out here," said John.

"Actually, we live in the ruins. We were just doing a little urban hunting. Why don't you come back to our settlement with us? I will explain to you the creation of the tower. Most likely better than anyone at the Portal settlement did."

"In case you've forgotten Colonel, we have a bit of a deadline," Rodney grumbled. "Don't exactly have time for milk and cookies with our new friends."

"No Rodney, I didn't forget," John growled back. "But we got what we came for quicker than expected, so I think we can spare a couple of hours. My decision."

Rodney threw his hands up in frustration and decided to stand silently next to Ronon.

"Are you sure, John?" Teyla now asked.

"If you're in a hurry…?" Edrah began, looking between John and Teyla.

"No hurry," answered John, giving the man a tight smile. "Lead the way."

Edrah's blinding grin came back. "Excellent! Den! Run back and tell Iyn to prepare a meal."

A young man with shaggy red hair and a long scar from his elbow to his wrist gave Edrah a sharp nod and took off. He disappeared into the ruins easily, with the practised skill of someone who had been doing it all his life.

"You said you were hunting," Teyla said as the group started to walk away from the big building and the Puddle Jumper. "What do you find to hunt in the ruins of a city?"

"A few different things have made homes since the city fell. Today we were after a Spydra, an enormous eight-legged monstrosity," Edrah answered, glancing over at Teyla. He regarded her the same way he did his men—no hint of worship or over excitement in his voice or on his face. He could tell she was a warrior and treated her as such.

"Wait, you _eat_ those things?" asked Rodney, aghast.

Edrah smirked. "They may be ugly, but they taste delicious."

A low rumble that John recognized as Ronon chuckling made Rodney's face go from ghostly to angry in a split second. John rolled his eyes.

"Okay, let's pick up the pace. It's a bit of a walk from here."


	12. Chapter 12

John had to admit he was impressed with the small community's set up. Not as impressed as Dr. Jackson, but still impressed. The group had taken over a building that may have been a shopping center at one point. Where glass had once been in doors and window frames there was now wooden planks or thick hides from some creature. The open area in the middle was used to communal gatherings or general daily business. The individual rooms had been converted into small one room apartments for all of the families that lived here. John knew there were families because he clearly saw women and children. He was rightfully confused.

"Uhh…" John watched a group of young boys run by them.

"You don't seem to have any problems with procreation." Daniel said, smiling as a little girl silently approached him and held his hand. She didn't say a word, just walked beside him, looking up at him adoringly.

Edrah shook his head. "No we don't. Looks like my daughter has taken a shining to you, Daniel," he said, grinning at the little girl.

Daniel chuckled. "I'm surprised she isn't hiding from us. We are strangers, after all."

"For someone so young, she is a very good judge of character. Knows a kind soul from a mile off," Edrah replied, clearly proud of the girl.

Rodney scoffed beside him and the little girl stuck her tongue out at him.

Trying to hide his smirk, Edrah scooped the little girl off her feet and up onto his shoulders. "Have you been good for your mother Dyn?"

"Yes, daddy," she replied, putting her tiny hands on his forehead.

"Good. And did you complete your lessons?" he now asked.

"No she didn't," answered a tired, yet good humored voice. The voice belonged to a short woman with long brown hair and was clearly coming to the end of her current pregnancy.

Edrah swept Dyn off his shoulders and put her on the floor. He raised an eyebrow at her without saying a word. After a moment the little girl took off, disappearing into one of the nearby rooms. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"These must be the guests Den spoke of," the woman said, shouldering past Edrah to look up at John. "And the poor _Dehmi_." She clicked her tongue and patted John's cheek.

"Iyn, I would like you to meet John, Daniel, Ronon and Dr. McKay," said Edrah, wrapping his arm around the woman's shoulders. "Everyone, this is my lovely wife Iyn."

"I'm a little confused," John said looking from Edrah to Iyn.

"Understandable. Come along, John. You must want to sit and rest," said Iyn, taking John's arm and pulling him toward the room the little girl had disappeared into.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." John allowed the tiny, pregnant woman to tug him along. He glanced back at his team, but none of them looked like they wanted to interfere with the motherly woman. Teyla and Dr. Jackson looked amused.

"I apologize for my wife, John. She seems to think it is her duty to be everyone's mother," Edrah said, smiling. He and the rest of John's team filed into the small apartment and Edrah pulled an animal hide across the door.

"While this is all warm and fuzzy, and I the only one concerned that this is way off base from what we've learned thus far?" Rodney grumbled, sitting down heavily next to John. The sofa was well worn and still functional, but it groaned loudly under Rodney's sudden presence.

John, Daniel and Teyla all glared at the scientist.

"Is tact even part of his vocabulary?" Daniel asked John, his expression and voice flat.

Edrah shook his head. "Do not worry, it's completely fine. Dr. McKay's concern is quite valid. Yes, things are much different for us here. If you have time, shall I start from the beginning?"

Daniel glanced at John, who nodded. "I'm definitely interested to find out how things got to this point," said the archeologist, accepting a plate of food from Iyn. She handed each of them a tray with meat, some sort of pale green fruit and a large chunk of bread. To John's delight, he noticed the meat on Rodney's plate was the fur covered joint of a spydra leg.

Edrah took a deep breath and nodded as he exhaled. "This all started before the cities were destroyed. Much of our population dedicated their lives to science and discovery. We still do, but more theory, less practice. This city was the home of many factories, one of which produced chemicals for many applications. Unfortunately one factory in particular is the heart of most of our problems. We still can't find the factory, but that is a problem we've been able to work around.

"When our cities were destroyed, the chemicals from the factory spilled into the water, poisoning the lakes and rivers," Edrah explained, pausing to take a few bites of his meal. "The poison is the reason there were less and less girls being born. We had issues before that, however, with men outnumbering women by about twelve to one. Something in out genetics made the female birthrate very low. But we could always sustain our population, even with that problem. After the chemical spill, the percentage of females being born dropped drastically. It became a ratio of something like three hundred to one.

"With less and less women, our scientists needed to do something to save our failing population. They created the _Fvet'Ur_', the most humiliating, dehumanizing device in existence. Each month a group of men were selected; half to be changed, half to be used as donors. The tower would only recognize men with 'superior' genetics, and those men would be forced to have the so-called honor or helping repopulate. There were always the even more unfortunate souls whose bodies rejected the change or the genetic material and were left to die, bleeding out because they weren't deemed worthy to help." Edrah took a deep breath to calm his anger before he continued. "Those men who died were treated like scum. A few men and remaining women realized there had to be another solution. My great-grandfather was one of them. He discovered the link between the water and the drop in birth rates. And he came up with a solution to the problem. Unfortunately some thought he was insane and the decline in the female birthrate was a punishment of sorts that they had to endure."

"Punishment for what?" asked Daniel.

Edrah shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think _they_ know. They chose to remain ignorant of a problem they had caused, but my great-grandfather wouldn't stand for that. He left his wife and brought anyone who would follow him back to the city. With their help, he found everything he needed to build a purification system for the water.

"It took a few years, for the poison to leave people's bodies, but eventually the female birthrate climbed again. My great-grandfather saved our people," Edrah finished with pride.

"Have you tried to explain this to Nidrah?" Daniel now asked. The look on his face told John he had a list of questions as long as his arm. John had a few of his own.

Edrah's piercing eyes grew wide. "She's still alive? That woman is older than dirt!"

Nodding, Daniel handed his barely-touched meal back to Iyn. "She leads the settlement by the Stargate. She doesn't seem to have the same attitude as the women here," he noted.

"They hold women in very high regard and treat the men quite poorly," Teyla added.

With a scoff, Edrah reclined in an ancient-looking arm chair. "It would be pointless trying to explain anything to her. She is a bitter woman, my great-grandmother."

"Nidrah is your great-grandmother?" Daniel asked, making sure he heard that correctly.

"Yes. She was the one who turned against her husband, believing they needed to turn their backs on science and pray to the _Fvet'Ur_ to help them. They never saw the problems the tower was causing. They never realized it was only supposed to be a temporary solution," he said, combing his fingers through his hair and shaking his head.

"Besides the obvious, what problems were there?" Rodney asked, even sounding a little curious. John wasn't sure if it was the technology that intrigued him, or he just had a morbid curiosity.

"Degradation. The more times a man was used for the change, the problems became. The children born became stupider, more prone to sickness, deformities. That's why the tower hasn't chosen anyone in recent years. They are all defective."

Daniel nodded. "That makes sense. We did see a few less than perfect men at the settlement."

"Why don't you destroy it?" Ronon asked. It was rare for him to participate in discussions like this, but it was one of the questions on John's mind.

"We've tried. Well, those of us not too terrified to get near it have tried. We don't even know what it's made from. It's like it's indestructible," Edrah replied with a heavy sigh.

"This doesn't make sense," Rodney stated. "Surely after so long the chemicals will have dissipated."

John looked over at the man. "Rodney, half of what we do doesn't make sense."

"They may have, but the damage is already done and we no longer have the equipment to test the water, so we keep filtering it," explained Edrah. He looked at John for a moment, then leaned over and spoke quietly to his wife. She nodded and went into a back room.

"Are you feeling all right, Colonel?" Daniel asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. "You look pale."

John was not feeling all right. His insides were doing back flips and he was light headed. "I'm fine," he said through his clenched jaw. "Let's just continue, shall we?"

Leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees, Edrah regarded John with a sympathetic gaze. "Believe me, I know better than anyone here how much pain you're in right now. If you go into the back room, Iyn has something that will help delay the symptoms."

John's neck was prickling from all the eyes on him. He shook his head. "Uh, no. I think I'm good. Thanks though," he said with a tight lipped smile. He was feeling the same awkwardness as when this all started.

"Actually Colonel, if they have something that delays the symptoms, it probably wouldn't hurt to give it a try," said Daniel.

"We could get some work done without running back to the 'gate every couple of hours," added Rodney.

"I promise you it is completely safe. I have nothing but sympathy for a man in your position. But I understand completely if you decline." Sitting back again, he gave John a genial smile.

Sighing heavily, John shrugged. "Okay, fine." Even if whatever this was didn't help, it probably wouldn't be any worse than how he already felt. "You guys seem to think it's a good idea, so why not. I'd rather risk poisoning than bleeding to death anyway." Pushing himself to his feet, he followed Iyn into the back room, leaving his team alone with Edrah.

"Do you want any help?" John asked, feeling a little uncomfortable watching the woman move around what appeared to be a bedroom of sorts.

"Sweet of you to ask, but I'm fine. It's you that needs the help, darling," she said, grinning at him. "Why don't you take off that clunky vest and sit on the bed here. I don't bite, I promise."

"Normally when I'm alone with a girl in a bedroom, things are going much differently," replied John, a nervous smirk tugging at his mouth as he unclipped his P90 and removed his vest.

"I would love to see your real face," said Iyn, her voice a little sad as she touched his shoulder.

"I'd like to have it back," replied John, not too happy with the defeat he heard in her tone. "Edrah said he knew better than anyone what this was like. Was he changed before?"

Swallowing hard, Iyn nodded. "It was an accident. He and some others went to destroy the tower."

"How did he fix it? Clearly he isn't a woman anymore, so…"

"Dyn."

John's shoulders slumped. "Dyn?"

"He was dying and there was no other choice. Dyn isn't my daughter."

Letting out a slow breath, John felt yet another knot form in his gut. "Well, kids aren't exactly an option for me."

"They weren't for Edrah, either. We had to keep him from bleeding to death for months before he even considered it as a last resort. There were no other options," said Iyn. "Now, lie down so we can get started."

"Uhh…"

"Do you want my help or not?" Iyn scolded gently, raising an eyebrow as she propped her fists on her hips.

Sighing again, John conceded. Lying down, he let the woman get to work.


	13. Chapter 13

While he was concerned about Colonel Sheppard, Daniel was glad he was able to take this time to observe these people. He had never seen anything quite like this before. These people behaved like many other low-tech societies he had seen, but instead of living off the land, they scavenged from the ruins. It was actually quite smart using the pre-existing buildings and remnants of technology for their survival.

"Have you tried speaking with the men at the other settlement?" Daniel asked Edrah as Teyla and Ronon wandered off to see if there was the possibility of trade with these people. Rodney had already gone to take a look at their purification system, so that left Daniel to do what he does best; learn about a new culture.

"We've tried over the years, but it's always useless. We've given up and I'm sure Nidrah thinks we're all dead anyway," Edrah answered with a shrug.

"They may be more receptive now. It wouldn't hurt to try and talk to them again," Daniel suggested as they walked along through the open center area. Dyn walked along with them, holding tightly to Daniel's jacket.

"While that may be, I won't go back there as long as the tower still stands. I learned the hard way not to get close to the damned thing."

Daniel nodded and looked down at Dyn. She was busy amusing herself with the Velcro flaps on his pants pocket. "She doesn't really take after your wife, does she?" he said casually.

"I told you I learned the hard way," Edrah replied with a sigh. It was the worst experience of my life. Not only the issues surrounding my pride, but the pain was…indescribable. Despite that, I don't regret what happened. It was a learning experience, one that my wife is happy I had. And of course, I have Dyn."

Daniel nodded, watching three young boys play with a dog-like animal. "How long did you look for a way to fix the problem before Dyn?"

"Months. I had a few close calls before I realized there was only one solution. Believe me, it wasn't an easy choice. John is going to have to make the same choice sooner or later."

Sliding his hands into his pockets, Daniel smiled briefly, a tight smile, as he glanced up at Edrah. "Well, we hope it doesn't come to that. Colonel Sheppard would be happy if we found a different solution."

"There is no other solution. Dyn, why don't you go get Papa? I'm sure he'd like to meet our new friends," Edrah said to his daughter, coaxing her to release Daniel's pants. Her face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. As fast as her little legs could carry her, Dyn ran off.

"Aren't you her papa?" Daniel asked with raised eyebrows.

Edrah grinned sheepishly, crossing his arms as they walked. "Well, in a manner of speaking, I'm the mother."

"I'm probably going to regret asking this, but—"

Edrah lifted his hands, cutting Daniel off. "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to explain my situation. We used to get travellers and of course visitors from across the ocean. A lot of people have trouble understanding the way we live. Our families here are large, usually consisting of one woman, three men and the children. Women are encouraged to take more than one husband and have as many children as possible. It's how we keep our population stable. Of course, we have some women who only take one husband and some who never marry at all. It's up to them, but the larger families are the norm.

"Anyway, Iny, Oderyn and I grew up together and we figured it was just a natural fit for Iny to marry us. We share the apartment you saw and the children share the one next to us."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "Isn't jealousy an issue?"

Chuckling, Edrah nodded. "With some is certainly can be, but the three of us have always been very close."

"Are you going to introduce me to your new friend, sweetheart?"

"He's over there with Daddy!"

Daniel looked up at the sound of Dyn's voice. She was walking back toward him and Edrah with a very large man in tow.

"Oderyn! Where have you been all day?" Edrah grinned up at the man as he approached.

"I was foraging with Jahd and Kaddran, just like I told you I was doing before I left this morning," laughed the man. He towered over Daniel and Edrah, had wavy chestnut hair tied back in a short ponytail and lines around his eyes that indicated he smiled more often than not. His white linen shirt was tight across his chest and his animal hide pants were ill fitting.

"I recall you saying no such thing. But that's not important at the moment. Oderyn, I would like you to meet Daniel. He's here with a _Dehmi_," said Edrah, holding his hand out toward Daniel.

The scowl did not suit Oderyn. "Another accident?"

Daniel nodded as he shook the man's proportionately enormous hand. "He and his team were investigating some strange signals coming from the tower. They had no idea it could do something like that. Actually no one thought something like this was even possible," he admitted.

"How is he?" asked Oderyn, his concern sounding genuine even though he didn't even know the man.

"Iyn's treating him," replied Edrah.

Lifting one hand, Daniel crooked a finger. "If you don't mind me asking, what _is_ this treatment, exactly?"

"It's actually very simple," said Oderyn, his good humor returning as swept Dyn off the floor and stepped past Daniel.

Edrah rolled his eyes. "He created it, so it's simple to him. Not all of us have minds bent toward botany and medicine, Ode."

Oderyn tossed a grin over his shoulder. "First, to help with pain there is a strip of cloth infused with the oils of two plants that are mild numbing agents and produce a natural heat. That goes over the abdomen—they are good for any pain, really," he explained with a shrug. "And second is a medicine I created that—simply put—confuses the new hormones for a short time. It prevents the bleeding." As he spoke, he led them back toward the apartment. "Now come on, I want to meet the poor sap."

Daniel was pretty sure Colonel Sheppard wouldn't appreciate being called a sap, but Oderyn's wide grin was infectious.

When the men arrived back at the apartment, Teyla and Ronon were already waiting but there was no sign of Rodney. Not surprising considering he had been given free reign of their technology.

Oderyn glanced at Teyla and Ronon briefly before giving them one of his big grins. "Well, I can tell right away you are no _Dehmi_," said to Teyla with a wink.

Edrah rolled his eyes. "Iyn won't take kindly to you flirting with our guests, Oderyn. I do apologize, Teyla."

Smiling politely, Teyla gave a shake of her head. "It is fine."

Oderyn then turned his smile on Ronon, who had gotten up when they entered the room. "And you are?" he asked, extending his hand toward the Satedan.

"Ronon Dex," he replied, shaking Oderyn's hand. It wasn't quite the same handshake as it had been with Daniel. Their forearms bulged and they looked like their goal was to be the first to shatter the other's hand. Daniel was used to the size of Teal'c, and he was even used to the size of Ronon, but seeing him together with Oderyn made Daniel feel oddly tiny. He was glad when Colonel Sheppard and Iyn emerged from the back room and put an end to the male posturing.

When Oderyn's eyes landed on John, his entire face lit up like a kid on Christmas.

"John, this is Oderyn," said Iyn. "He's Dyn's father."

John wasn't even able to get the first syllable of a word out before Oderyn was crushing him in a bear hug. Oderyn's massive arms trapped John against his broad chest, but didn't stop John from flailing his arms, smacking the man's biceps.

"I've seen _Dehmi_ in the past, but you are adorable!" Oderyn exclaimed, continuing to crush John.

Sighing heavily and shaking her head, Iyn waddled over to the pair and gave Oderyn a pinch. "Let him go, you overgrown bully!"

The big man was pouting comically as he released John. Daniel looked down at the floor to hide his smirk as the Colonel gasped for air.

"Sometimes he can be a little too friendly. Like a big mutt," Iyn complained.

John swallowed hard and pushed loose strands of hair off his face. "Yes, well, we ought to find Rodney and be on our way," he said, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

The old couch gave an ominous groan as Oderyn flopped down onto it, looking up at Daniel. "Leaving so soon?"

"Because you're scaring them away," grumbled Iyn, putting her fists on her hips.

Colonel Sheppard wasn't talking, so Daniel answered. "Actually, we have a lot of work that needs to be done. We need to get back to the tower."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm sure we'll figure it all out when we get there," said John giving them a one-shouldered shrug. "Come on, let's go collect Rodney and head back."

"That's a long walk. Will you be okay?" Iyn asked, putting her hand on John's arm.

He gave her a smile. "Yeah. We've got a ride."

"Please be careful, John. I hope you find a solution, because I would love to see your real face," she said, hugging him awkwardly as she worked around her enormous belly. John didn't mind this hug quite as much as the last.

"Are you sure you don't want to try talking to the others?" Daniel asked Edrah as they headed out of the apartment.

Shaking his head, Edrah crossed his arms. "I told you I won't go back there until that tower is destroyed. Maybe you can speak on my behalf," he said. "I have something I want you to take. Show this to Nidrah and she'll know it came from me." Briefly disappearing back inside, Edrah came back with a small box in hand. The box was long and thin, resembling a necklace box.

Nodding, Daniel took the box and slipped it into a pocket of his vest. "I'll see what I can do."

"Good luck."


	14. Chapter 14

John barely said two words before they got back to the Jumper. Hell, he had barely said a word since. Rodney was busy regaling them with tails of how he improved the Ahyderian purifiers. No one was really listening since Rodney was mostly talking to hear himself talk. Beside him in the passenger seat, Dr. Jackson was pinching the bridge of his nose like he was attempting to stave off a headache.

"So," John said loud enough to interrupt Rodney. "I was thinking, Dr. Jackson. How are you going to do any translating if getting near the tower means ending up in the same boat as me?"

"General O'Neill would have a heart attack if you came back to Earth as Dr. Danielle Jackson," said Rodney.

Ignoring the scientist, Dr. Jackson pulled a notebook from his pocket. "Actually, I did think of that. That's why I was writing everything down." Turning in his chair, he faced Teyla. "You're going to have to do it," he said to her, holding out the notebook.

Teyla's brow twitched. "But I—"

"No, no, it's easy!" Daniel interrupted, waving away her protest. "See, I wrote down the translation next to the symbols, so for you it's basically matching them up. If there is a 'settings' type menu, this should navigate you right to it, no problem."

"Are you sure?"

"It'll be fine. I'm hoping once you get past the symbols there will be written words, which will make it even easier. You can just read it off to me over the radio, and I'll translate it for you," Daniel said with a smile as Teyla reluctantly accepted the notebook.

"Rodney, while she's doing that, I want you to see if there is a way to shut that thing down," said John, bringing the Jumper around so they could land a safe distance from the tower.

"What will you be doing?" Teyla asked.

"Dr. Jackson, Ronon and I will go have a chat with our friend Nidrah," John said once the Jumper was on the ground. He pushed himself out of the pilot seat and the others followed suit. The team left the cloaked ship and walked a short way together before they had to split up. Rodney and Teyla went into the woods while the others skirted the tree line.

"Am I the only one who thinks Nidrah is hiding more than knowledge of the other Ahyderians?" John asked after a few minutes of walking. He reached up with one hand to push strands of hair that had come loose from his ponytail off his face.

"I've seen people like her before. Generally they think they are doing what's right. They believe they are protecting their way of life. They need to be convinced things need to change, but if you can do that everything they've been hiding just sort of…pours out," Daniel replied, keeping his eyes on the ground as they walked.

"Be easier just to threaten 'er," said Ronon, his low voice rumbling.

Daniel shook his head. "Unfortunately, for someone like Nidrah, that would just make her clam up. She'd the type you need to out talk." He looked over at John, mouth pulled slightly to the side as he waited to see what the man would say. If it were Jack, he would either make a stupid joke or insult Daniel's tactics.

"That's why I figured you ought to come to the village. I have a pretty short temper right now, so it'll be safer if you try and talk to her," John grumbled. He sighed through his nose and looked up at the trees. The dual suns were beating down on their heads and John felt his shirt cling to his skin from sweat. He was too hot, but he'd rather be that than in pain. Since Iyn had given him the tablets, he actually felt pretty good. She told him the medicine would last one day, which he hoped would be long enough to fix the problem.

"We're being followed," Ronon informed them when they were about halfway to the village.

"It's probably Kyrdas," said Daniel, glancing into the trees to their left.

"Be careful anyway, just in case it isn't," replied John, taking his sunglasses off and tucking them into a pocket of his vest. He subtly changed their path, heading into the trees. Cutting through the forest would be quicker to the village and it gave them some cover.

Readjusting his grip on the stock of his weapon, John glanced over his shoulder at Ronon and tipped his head briefly to the left. Ronon replied with a minute nod and silently moved away from them. Daniel watched Ronon out of the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything as they continued walking. Whoever was following them wasn't exactly skilled. They stepped on twigs and rustled the leaves of low hanging branches. In his peripheral vision, he saw a flash of blond and he hung his head.

"Shit."

"What?" Daniel raised his eyebrows at John.

"Blond, noisy and curious."

Daniel's chin fell to his chest. "Mednai."

"Bingo." John clicked his radio and relayed the message to Ronon.

"What would he be doing out here?" Daniel asked, speaking more to himself than to John.

"Got him!" Ronon called from somewhere ahead of them. He wasn't too far off, maybe 50 yards or so. Mednai was pouting, but stood obediently by Ronon's side. Until he spotted John, however. A bright grin spread across his face and he sprinted through the trees toward John.

John braced himself, but being tackled by the boy still managed to knock him on his ass. Mednai squeezed him tightly around the waist, hiding his face against John's chest. The boy was shaking like a leaf.

Sighing heavily, John gently pushed Mednai back a bit. Tears streaked down his cheeks, his lip was split and had a big, dark bruise around one eye. John was a little surprised at how angry he felt on the boy's behalf. "What the hell happened?" he asked, frowning.

Mednai looked away from John and put his hands to his face.

"Jackson, can you ask him what happened?" John asked with another sigh.

"He can read lips. He'd be more likely to tell you, anyway," replied Daniel.

"I don't know how to talk to him without him crying," John bemoaned. He looked up at Ronon as the man joined them. "Just to rule it out, you didn't do this, did you?"

Ronon shook his head. "He was like that when I grabbed him."

John wasn't entirely sure why he asked that. It wasn't something he normally would have asked. Part of him was starting to feel absurdly protective of the kid.

As John silently berated himself, Daniel looked down at Mednai and relayed the question. The boy was extremely hesitant as he touched his black eye, debating what he should do. Finally, he frowned, stood up straight and squared his shoulders. He touched his chest and John's arm and then pointed off toward the Stargate.

"Does this have something to do with when you came back with us?" Daniel asked, speaking carefully so Mednai could understand.

The blond nodded.

"Was someone angry?" Daniel now questioned.

The boy nodded again. He pointed back toward the village then touched John's arm again. Motioning to his own face, he scrunched it up and bent over, looking like he was trying to do an impression of an elderly person. After a moment, he stood up straight and touched his lip and his eye.

"Nidrah did this when you returned?" Daniel raised his eyebrows at Mednai.

Lowering his head and sucking on his bottom lip, Mednai nodded. He glanced up at John from under his eyebrows, like he was asking if he was in trouble.

"Why?" John asked, trying not to frown at Mednai.

Mednai pointed to himself, then the direction of the village and the direction of the Stargate, shaking his head.

"I'm guessing he wasn't supposed to leave the village," suggested Daniel, crossing his arms over his weapon.

John was feeling much angrier than he should have. He had hoped the emotional flares were gone, but it looked like he was wrong. Of course, he'd be a little pissed either way; Mednai was a defenseless kid after all. But his blood was practically boiling.

"Colonel, you okay?"

"Just really pissed off," John answered, unclenching his fists.

"This just proves that she has something to hide, though," Daniel said as they continued toward the village.

"Still think threats won't work?" Ronon said behind them.

Daniel scoffed and glanced over his shoulder at Ronon. "I'm still going to say they won't. She's been in a position of power for a very long time and she has the men brainwashed into believing her way is the only way. While she may use physical violence as punishment because it's easy, does not mean she'll respond to it."

Ronon shrugged. "Whatever."

The closer they got to the village, the more worried Mednai became. He kept pointing and shaking his head, looking up at John with wide eyes. John tried telling the kid it would be fine, but it didn't seem to matter. When the village was in sight, Mednai was pulling on John's arm and looking panicked.

"He really doesn't want to go back," Daniel said when Mednai finally gave up and glued himself to John's side.

"Let's find out what's going on here," the Colonel grumbled in return. They were on the outskirts of the village now, and as the men spotted him, they all started bowing and that only fueled John's anger. Mednai was more-or-less whimpering at his side, clinging to his arm.

As they made their way toward the building at the rear of the village, it almost felt like time was standing still. Everything was silent and the people were motionless. It was unnerving.

"Mednai! What are you doing? Leave the _Miyah'Ur_ alone!" Kyrdas barked at the boy when they reached the building. "Get away!" he reached out to grab Mednai, but the boy hid behind John.

"Hey!" John glowered at Kyrdas, who lowered his head. "Leave the kid alone."

"I apologize, _Miyah'Ur_," the man mumbled, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Where's Nidra?" John growled.

Kyrdas shook his head. "She can't see you now."

"Like hell." John pushed past the man, opening the doors and going into the building. Ronon and Dr. Jackson followed. He led them straight through to where they met the old woman before, Kyrdas yelling the whole way.

"What is going on here?" the old woman asked as they barged into the hall.

"I'd like to as you the same thing," replied John, coming to a stop before her chair. Now that he was standing here looking at the frail old woman, he clenched his jaw and his fists and couldn't quite think of where to begin questioning her.

"Why did you bring that disobedient brat with you? He's not the one you've chosen, is he?" Nidrah raised a brow at the boy and turned her sunken eyes on John.

"Chose for what?"

"Your baby's father. You should know he is incapable of producing offspring."

John gaped, stuttering and unable to get any words out for a long moment. He tripped over his tongue, shaking his head. "_That_ is never gonna happen, lady! I brought Mednai here because we ran into him in the forest."

Nidrah turned a dark glare on Mednai, her thin lips nearly disappearing with the scowl. "You left again, you rotten little—"

"Hey! Listen, lady. You better watch how you talk to this kid around me," john found himself saying, taking a threatening step forward.

Daniel put a hand on John's arm to catch his attention. "Colonel…"

John took a few deep breaths and nodded.

Pulling the box Edrah had given him from his pocket, Daniel stepped forward. "Nidrah, why do you still rely on the _Fvet'Ur_?" he asked.

She turned her scowl on Daniel now. "Why? Because it is what sustains our population. It's how we've survived this long."

Shaking his head, Daniel licked his lips. "You aren't surviving very well, are you?"

"What are you talking about, boy?"

"Well, the _Fvet'Ur_ was designed to create women, yes? Seems like it isn't doing what it was designed to do. You're the last surviving woman here, but you're far too old to have children. You're going to die, go extinct," said Daniel, speaking casually, like he wasn't spelling out their doom.

The woman pushed herself from her chair, her withered hands shaking as she picked up the cane that leaned on the pseudo throne. Now that she wasn't sitting in the chair, she looked like any other grumpy old lady. "The _Fvet'Ur_ is working perfectly fine. The proof is standing right before us!"

"That may be, but Colonel Sheppard isn't Ahyderian. He won't do what you want him to do. So you are still dying. But what if there was a solution?" Daniel said, handing Nidrah the box.

"What is this?" she asked, opening the box. She looked inside and her eyes grew wide. With one trembling, leathery hand, she reached into the box and pulled out a gold chain with a round pendant hanging from a hoop attached to the links. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Where did you get this?"

"Your great-grandson," Daniel answered.

"Impossible!"

"'Friad not," said John. "Edrah and his family are doing quite well."

"No! There are no others! They died because they lacked faith in our technology! They didn't trust the _Fvet'Ur_ to do its job!"

"Because the _Fvet'Ur_ wasn't a permanent solution!"

Nidrah was shaking with anger. "Who are you to come into my home and question our way of life!" she bellowed, her voice carrying through the big room.

Daniel's voice was almost inaudible by contrast, his words soft and even. "I'm not questioning it, Nidrah. I'm telling you there's another way. We've seen it ourselves. A group of Ahyderians living in the city ruins with women and children. They have a future. You and the men living here will not unless you accept the fact that the _Fvet'Ur_ will _not_ save you. You need to make a choice, Nidrah."

"I will not let my people go down the same path as the others! It will bring the Wraith back and we will be wiped out for sure!" she shouted at Daniel. Slowly, she turned to face John, fury clear on her face. "I hope your death is painful and humiliating." With that, she snapped her fingers and the doors slammed open. Half the men from the village rushed inside, all holding farming tools, wielding them like weapons.

"We can take 'em," said Ronon, his energy pistol raised already.

John shook his head. "It would be a massacre. They're just farmers," he said with a sigh.

"What are you going to do with us, Nidrah?" Daniel asked, looking back over his shoulder at the woman.

With narrowed eyes, the woman looked at Kyrdas. "Tie them up in the center of the village."

Glancing from Ronon to Daniel, John saw they had the same look in their eyes. They weren't going to go easily.


	15. Chapter 15

Frowning at the screen, Teyla tapped another symbol and got yet another string of them. She looked down at Dr. Jackson's notes and tried to find one that matched anything on the screen. Each time she did, she repeated the steps. She had been doing this for the better part of an hour now and it was becoming quite tiresome. She didn't understand what she was looking at, which made it hard to focus.

For the fifth time in the last ten minutes, Rodney grumbled something under his breath and sat back on his heels. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and sighed heavily. It seemed he was having as much luck as she was.

After a few more rounds of matching symbols, the interface went blank. At first she thought Rodney had succeeded in shutting the tower down, but it came back on a few seconds later. This time there were no symbols, but a strange-looking language instead. She had no idea how to read these words.

"Rodney, have you made any progress?" she asked, turning away from the screen.

The scientist sat up and scowled at the exposed crystals and wires. "I'd like to say yes."

"Shall I tell Colonel Sheppard you are working on it?"

"Tell him I'm getting there," Rodney corrected before returning to his task.

Smirking, Teyla reached up and tapped her radio. "Dr. Jackson, I require your assistance," she said into the headpiece. She waited for a moment, but there was no reply. She tried again, but again there was no reply. "Colonel Sheppard, please come in."

"What's up?" Rodney asked as Teyla tried hailing Ronon.

"None of them are responding."

"That's never good. If I hadn't already disabled the EM field, I would say that was the cause…" Rodney said, pushing himself to his feet.

"We should go into the village. There is nothing more I can do without Dr. Jackson, anyway."

"Are you sure we shouldn't get Major Lorne's team? I mean, if those three got caught, what are we going to do?"

Teyla looked at Rodney from under her eyebrows.

With a heavy sigh, Rodney let his chin drop to his chest. "I hate rescue missions," he grumbled, following Teyla. "And I hate running!"

Teyla ignored Rodney as she took off at a light jog. She would normally do a full run, but she didn't want to completely drain the out of shape scientist before they even got to the village. Even at this slow pace however, Rodney was still breathing heavily by the time they got to the cliff where they had met with Kyrdas before. Shaking her head impatiently, Teyla tried John on the radio again while she waited for Rodney to catch his breath. Still no answer.

Rodney was complaining to himself as they started down the incline that led down into the valley. The village was hidden around a corner and there really wasn't a great place to do recon. They would have to be careful.

"How are we gonna do this?" Rodney asked her as they walked toward the village.

Sighing, Teyla glanced at the opposite side of the valley. "We can just walk into the village and ask where they are, or we can climb up the other side of the valley and observe them first," she told Rodney.

"Those are both terrible ideas," grumbled Rodney. "Either way we're going to have to go into the village at some point to actually conduct a rescue."

Teyla nodded and headed off toward the opposite end of the valley. "Yes, but it is always good to know just what we are walking into." With Rodney behind her, she took off at a sprint.

~oOo~

"Oh, I hate being tied up," Daniel muttered with a sigh. "Bad things always happen.

John shrugged as much as his restraints would allow. "Well, I wouldn't say _always_."

Daniel blinked at him.

"So, uh, what happened to out-talking her?" John asked, looking over at Ronon, who was unconscious. It had taken eight men and a couple blows to the head to bring the Satedan down.

"What happened to 'they're just farmers'?" replied Daniel, eyebrows raised.

"Okay, yeah, they were tougher than they looked. But at least I fought back. What _was_ that anyway?"

Daniel's blue eyes were far too innocent behind cracked glasses. "Oh, did I forget to mention I don't really do the whole 'hand-to-hand' thing? I've only won one fight before and I don't even remember that one."

"Don't do the—," John dropped his chin to his chest with an exasperated groan. "I should have just let Ronon shoot them."

"Well, once Teyla and Rodney can't get into contact with us, they'll send in the cavalry."

"Teyla will be more likely to investigate on her own, first," said John.

"But once they see us…"

"I would hope so. Until then…or at the very least, until Ronon comes to, we're stuck." John looked out at the men who were watching them. A couple of them had a nasty glint in their eyes John would rather not think about.

"I am sorry this had to happen," Kyrdas said, stopping before John. "You could have been the salvation of our race."

"If you'd stop taking Nidrah's word as law and listen to what we have to say, you could be your own salvation," said Daniel.

"No, there is no other way. The _Fvet'Ur_ is what keeps us from being destroyed," Kyrdas said, shaking his head.

"And that worked for a short time, until the gene pool started to degrade. That should make sense to you, yes? Almost everyone here has a defect of some sort, be it major or minor. That's why the _Fvet'Ur_ hasn't chosen anyone in so long. Nidrah herself said it needed someone with superior genetics. She's basically telling you that you aren't good enough to live," Daniel told the man, his tone light and expression blank.

John glanced from Daniel to Kyrdas and back, his disbelief clear on his face. "Are you trying to get us killed, Jackson?"

Daniel ignored the Colonel and continued speaking. "Do you need proof? We can take you to the others. They live in the ruins of the city. I've been told some of you have been to the city before. Surely you've seen evidence of people living there?"

Kyrdas shook his head. "We are forbidden from leaving the forest. That's why Mednai was punished!"

"Forbidden or not, it hasn't stopped some of you."

Kyrdas shook his head a second time. "You're lying. Lady Nidrah wouldn't hide something like that from us. We're the only ones left. And you," he said, looking at John, "were our last hope. But you went against her and…" Kyrdas trailed off with a sigh.

Daniel was frowning now. "Why would I lie? What would I possibly gain from lying to you?"

"Shut up!" Kyrdas picked up a stone and threw it at Daniel. It struck the archeologist in the chin, splitting the skin.

"Ah!" Daniel opened his mouth and flexed his jaw against the pain. Blood dribbled off his chin, running down his throat and soaking into his tee-shirt.

"What the _hell_ was that, Jackson? We want them on our side, not pissed off at us!" growled John, leaning his head back against the post.

"They may be pissed off, but they're not so sure they believe Nidrah anymore. Just had to plant the seeds of doubt," said Daniel, glancing sideways at john.

"You could have found a better way of doing it…"

~oOo~

Teyla looked through the field binoculars a second time, just to make sure she was seeing this correctly. She handed the binoculars over to Rodney and scowled. John, Ronon, Daniel and Mednai were tied up to posts in the middle of the small village. Ronon was unconscious, but they mostly appeared uninjured.

Rodney let out an irritated groan as he looked down at the village. "Can that man go more than five minutes without getting into trouble?" He shook his head and looked over at Teyla. "What are you doing?"

Teyla was looking down the sight of her P90, aiming toward the village.

"What do you plan on hitting from here?"

"Nothing," Teyla replied. "I merely hope to frighten them. These weapons are quite loud, but the shape of the valley will amplify the sound."

"Okay, that has potential. But what are we going to do from up here?" Rodney now asked.

"You will be down there," Teyla told him. "When the men hide, you will untie the others."

Rodney closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm pretty sure it would work better if you did the untying and I stayed up here and did the shooting."

"Rodney, it would be better for all of us if I am the one who remains here. What if something happens and you get caught as well?"

Raising his hands, Rodney conceded. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

Teyla smirked as Rodney trudged off. She really hoped this worked.

~oOo~

The suns were beginning to set, for which John was eternally grateful. He was tired of blinking sweat out of his eyes and he was pretty sure his sunburn had surpassed 'well-done' quite a while ago. To his left, Daniel looked like he was napping, but was actually trying to work his rope. To his right, Mednai was slumped over, letting the ropes hold him up. He had been crying earlier, but had given that up and was silent again. Next to Mednai, Ronon was just coming to, a low groan rumbling from his throat.

"Welcome back," John said, turning his head and trying to lean out to look at the man.

Ronon instantly tried straining against his ropes.

"Hey, calm down pal! Do you really think you're getting out of that after it took eight guys to get you there?" John asked, rolling his eyes. They had used a lot more rope on Ronon than they had on the others.

"Shoulda let me shoot them," Ronon growled, giving another yank on his restraints.

"Yeah, we already established that," John replied with a sigh.

"Gonna be dark soon," Ronon now said, looking up at the sky. "Think Teyla has something planned?"

"I hope so. She's been out of radio contact for a few hours now," answered John. "Things could go two ways; she and Rodney mount a rescue mission themselves, or they went back to Atlantis for back-up. Option A is more likely."

"Teyla I have faith in, McKay on the other hand…" Daniel added, opening his eyes and watching a group of men stop to gawk.

"He can pull his weight if he has to," defended John, shuddering when one of the men made it very obvious he was checking John out. "I really don't like the way those guys are eyeing me."

"They're giving _me_ the chills and they aren't even looking at me."

"Don't you vultures have work to do?"

The men looked a little startled before hurrying off to do whatever work they were supposed to be doing. With his arms crossed over his chest, Kyrdas strolled into view. He looked annoyed.

"Come to throw more rocks at us?" John asked, scowling.

"You have atrocious manners," Kyrdas answered, lifting his chin defiantly.

"What's with the sudden attitude adjustment? When we first met, you were grovelling at my feet."

Kyrdas sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I was nervous and understandably surprised when I saw you. I am in charge here, under Nidrah, of course. This is my normal behavior."

"So, did she tell you to keep an eye on us or something?" John now asked.

"Hardly," scoffed Kyrdas. "She thinks that even if you do manage to escape, the men would be on you like a pack of starved hounds. They haven't seen any woman other than Nidrah in a very long time, if ever."

John swallowed hard, a look of pure disgust on his face. He leaned his head forward, his ponytail falling over his shoulder. "Okay, so why _are_ you here?" he growled.

Leaning his weight on one leg, Kyrdas tipped his head and looked at Mednai. The boy looked back at him, bottom lip quivering. "I came to tell you a story. Now, I'm not saying I believe this slander of yours, but what you say about the deformities is true. They started small, barely anything worth paying attention to. Towards the end, they got so bad some babies were stillborn; others lived one or two years, but eventually died. Mednai was actually a twin. He had a sister, but she barely survived fifteen minutes before she stopped breathing. We almost couldn't save _him_, but he was stronger. Born deaf mute and later developed cancerous tumors, which lead to castration. He was the last child born."

"And you won't let us help you?" Daniel said, shaking his head with a sigh.

Kyrdas raised an eyebrow and looked around before he approached John. "I can only help you help yourselves," he whispered, leaning in close.

John pulled his head back as far as he could in an attempt to keep some space between Kyrdas and himself. John couldn't quite read Kyrdas' expression even as he held eye contact. After a moment, the man stepped back and smirked at John.

"If you're smart, you'll wait until suns down," he said before walking off.

"Uhh…what just happened?" Daniel asked.

John couldn't help the smirk that pulled at the corner of his mouth. "He loosened my ropes."

~oOo~

It was almost pitch black now, save for the few torches that lit the village. Teyla told Rodney to wait for nightfall because it would be easier to sneak over to the others. He had been waiting almost an hour now, hiding behind a tent that sat close to a small cluster of trees. Every now and then, just so his legs wouldn't cramp up, he'd walk to the other side of the tent and check on Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, Jackson and the blond kid.

"Teyla better do something soon. I'm freezing my butt off here," he muttered to himself. Once the suns went down the temperature dropped drastically. He was so concerned with trying to warm himself up that when Teyla fired her weapon, he almost leapt out of his skin. He heard a few shrieks and saw shadows of people running around as he slipped past the tent and made a bee-line for the others.

"Nice of you to drop in, Rodney," said Sheppard, who was already half-way to free.

"Teyla's distraction worked like a charm," he observed as he moved to loose Dr. Jackson. "You probably didn't even need me, since you seem to have freed yourself."

"I can't take all the credit," John whispered back. "Now hurry up."

Rodney waved john off as he cut through the ropes surrounding Jackson. He looked up briefly and saw a few faces peeking out of tent flaps.

"Uh, people are getting curious," Dr. Jackson said, shrugging out of the ropes when Rodney finished cutting through them.

In answer, there was another shot from Teyla, the sound reverberating around the valley. Any curious men ducked back into their tents.

"Help me get Ronon free," hissed John, moving away from the already free Mednai.

"Here." Rodney handed over the knife and worked at the knots with his fingers.

"They've got our gear at the hall," said Daniel, watching nervously for anyone brave enough to step outside to stop them.

"Leave it for now. We'll come back. We still have to find out what Nidrah's hiding," replied John, cutting through the last of Ronon's rope. Now that the big man was free, the group headed out of the village at a sprint. Another shot from Teyla made sure no one followed.


	16. Chapter 16

"I don't get why he would want to help you," Rodney said once they were back in the Jumper.

"I don't think he's exactly on Nidrah's side," replied John as he looked through the Jumper's stowed supplies. He was sure there was an extra vest or two in here, just in case. "He seemed to have his own agenda."

Rodney nodded, although he wasn't completely satisfied with the answer. "So, what's the plan now?"

"Well," grunted John, hefting a case down onto the bench, "once Dr. Jackson and Teyla finish with the translation, you are still going to disable the damn thing."

"What about you?"

"What about me, Rodney?" John sighed, turning toward the scientist. He crossed his arms—which still felt bizarre—and leaned his weight on one leg.

"What if there is no way to reverse this?" Rodney asked, making a waving gesture are the colonel.

"I'm trying not to think about that," John said, turning back to the case. Popping the locks, he opened the lid and smiled. Extra weapons. No holsters, but the men hadn't removed theirs when they took their gear, so that was a plus.

Quickly locating a second case that stored ammunition, he loaded one of the 9mm pistols and slipped it into the holster hanging around his hips. He loaded a second one and handed it off to Rodney since Ronon had taken the one he already had. He repeated the process for a third, which he would give to Jackson.

As he was closing the cases, John reached up and touched the earpiece of his radio. "Teyla, how's it going?"

"_Slowly_," she replied in his ear.

"No accidents?" John now asked, picking up the two headsets he had set aside for Ronon and Jackson.

There was a smile in Teyla's voice when she answered. "_Not yet, no._"

"Great. We're on our way back."

"_Understood_."

"C'mon, Rodney." John walked down the ramp and made sure McKay was clear before he closed up the Jumper again. Slipping the remote into his pocket, he took the P90 out of Rodney's hands and flicked on the attached light. It was pitch black and freezing cold outside, but John wasn't going to wait out the night. He wanted to get this fixed sooner rather than later.

Rodney was surprisingly quiet as they walked back toward the tower. Other than the occasional yawn, he didn't make any noise and didn't say a word. John found it a bit worrying. Red flags always went up when Rodney wasn't complaining about something or other.

John gave a quick, sharp shake of his head. He was thinking too much. It wasn't good to overthink things. It usually led to greater problems. Luckily, his train of thought was derailed as Mednai tackled him with another hug.

"You gotta stop doing that," wheezed John, gently pushing Mednai away. The blond smiled up at him and went running back to Teyla and the _Fvet'Ur_.

"He's been pretty helpful, actually," Jackson told him, watching as Mednai tried to tell Teyla what something on screen meant through his gestures.

"Good. Where's Ronon?" he now asked, handing the man a radio and pistol.

"He said he was going to check out the forest, see if we were tailed," replied Jackson.

Puffing a sigh through his nose, John nodded. He didn't like it when anyone on his team went off alone, but he knew Ronon could take care of himself. He had been on his own seven years before they found him.

"_Iidriss_?" Teyla called out, looking over her shoulder. "Mednai could not explain it."

"The full sentence, please?"

"_Enem addrah iidriss tek adren em_," Teyla read slowly, careful to enunciate each word.

Frowning, Dr. Jackson muttered to himself, trying to decipher the language. The group was quiet while the man thought. Mednai looked impatient, obviously knowing what it meant, but unable to find the correct gestures to relay his translation.

Startling everyone, Dr. Jackson shot to his feet, mouth agape as he pointed toward Teyla and Mednai. "That! That's it!"

"What's it?" Rodney asked, looking bored with the situation.

"_Enem addrah iidriss tek adren em_!" Jackson repeated excitedly, fingers twitching. John could see he wanted to run over and do the rest himself, but knew he couldn't. "Is there another menu under that?" he asked.

Teyla turned back to the screen, the blue back light casting an eerie glow over her features. She tapped the screen and turned back to Dr. Jackson. "It is blank."

"Oh, I was afraid of that," Jackson sighed, pulling his glasses off his face and rubbing his eyes.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" john inquired, raising his eyebrows as he looked from Teyla to Jackson.

"I figured these men wouldn't just change back after they served their purpose. There had to be something else. That would have been instructions for a reversal procedure," Jackson bemoaned.

"So there _is_ a way to reverse this?"

"Could be lost knowledge at this point, Colonel." Jackson slipped his glasses back on a crossed his arms.

John shook his head. "That's probably what Nidrah is hiding. I'll bet she knows exactly how to fix this. After all, it's only been fifteen or sixteen years since the last kid was born here, and only five for Edrah."

"Yeah, but how would Edrah have gotten his hands on the information?" Rodney asked, scowling.

"Oderyn got it from me."

John looked over his shoulder to see Ronon escorting Kyrdas toward them. He scowled, looking at Ronon.

"Found him in the woods," the big man said. "He was sneaking around."

"I was not! Now let go of me, you giant." Kyrdas tried to pull his arm free but Ronon held on tight.

John nodded at Ronon, who let the man go. "What happened to only helping us help ourselves?"

"A man is allowed to change his mind, is he not?" Kyrdas replied, looking down his nose at John.

"Yeah, but _why_?" Rodney pressed, not looking quite as bored anymore.

Kyrdas ignored Rodney, looking only at John. "You don't need to be quite so afraid of the _Fvet'Ur_. It'll only change you if you stand directly in front of the screen _and_ meet the requirements." He turned his eyes to Daniel. "You'd best be careful."

John saw Rodney was about to protest Jackson's superior genetics, but a glare cut him off. "Why are you here, Kyrdas?"

"Do you want my help or not?" the man asked with a sigh.

"What did you give Oderyn?" John asked in return.

Kyrdas crossed his arms and wandered around the tower, looking at the screen. "The fix."

Daniel met John's gaze in the dark, both of them frowning. "Why didn't Oderyn tell us?" Jackson asked.

"Oderyn didn't even tell Edrah." Kyrdas smiled over his shoulder at John and Daniel. He paused and licked his lips slowly before turning toward them. "We were always told that after we did our duty, the change would reverse itself. This is not true. There is a serum that performs that task."

"We'll get to the obvious question of how you know Edrah and Oderyn in a minute. I'm more curious about this serum. How do _you_ know about it?" John's hands tightened around his P90.

The smile fell from Kyrdas' face. He pursed his lips and took a deep breath. "I know because I…I'm…Mednai is my…Mednai is mine." He faced away from the boy as he struggled to get the words out. Running his fingers through his hair, he stared at the ground.

John had to admit, he was surprised. They looked nothing alike and didn't exactly give off a happy family vibe.

"He doesn't know," Kyrdas added.

"What has made you decide to help us now?" Teyla added, leaving the glow of the screen to join the group.

"Mednai. Other than Nidrah, you two are the only women he has ever seen in his almost sixteen cycles. He has gotten so attached to you that he left the village to stay with you. Nidrah had him beaten because of that. I've been waiting for the old bat to die for a while now, but that was the last straw. He may not know, but he's still my son. Nidrah's ways are archaic and idiotic. Not to mention demeaning and humiliating. It's time for her to step down as a leader. She's just a bitter old woman taking out her anger on all of us," explained Kyrdas, clenching his jaw and flaring his nostrils. "You and your people showing up has given me the perfect chance to overthrow her."

"Okay…so how do you know Edrah?" Rodney asked, narrowing his eyes at Kyrdas.

"Through Oderyn. Oderyn and I have been friends for twenty years. We met when I was foraging in the city one day and more or less became instant friends. I was surprised, to say the least, learning that there was an entire population living in the ruins. He asked me to join them, but at that time I had too many responsibilities here. I couldn't leave my friends and family. I tried speaking with Nidrah about them, but she refused to listen to anything I had to say.

"I already knew that our genetics were degrading and we didn't have many options left. I started to see Nidrah for what she really was and tried making plans to convince everyone she is wrong. As long as she is alive, no one will listen to me. I couldn't get Oderyn to come to the village, but once I was 'chosen', he started showing a little more sympathy and we would meet halfway between the ruins and the village. No one would come close to the village because of the tower, and I told him it was best they all stay away for their own safety.

"After the problems I had with Mednai and his sister, I was fully convinced something needed to be done. Nidrah gave me the serum once we were sure Mednai would survive. She kept me locked up so no one would see how it was done." Kyrdas paused, closing his eyes, remembering. "The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before. I screamed myself raw and then some, and I vowed no one would ever have to go through that again once I was the leader."

John took a long, slow breath, absorbing the information. "I'm guessing Oderyn asked for your help?"

Kyrdas let his arms fall to his sides as he nodded. "I told him about what happened and he asked for the serum. Nidrah nearly killed me when she found out one had been stolen. She never found out I was the one who took it, thankfully, because I wouldn't be standing here right now."

"That all sounds too convenient," Ronon growled.

John had to agree. Kyrdas did seem to have an answer for everything.

"I'm telling you the truth. It's your choice to believe me or not. Think about it, but I need to get back to the village before the suns rise." Kyrdas shrugged and started to walk away, but Ronon grabbed his shoulder again.

Daniel crossed his arms and regarded Kyrdas for a moment. "We can always ask Oderyn. It's not like we're getting anywhere with the tower."

John scrubbed his hands over his face and groaned. "Let him go. We know where to find him. And hopefully he knows what'll happen to him if he tells anyone we're still here."

Ronon stared down at Kyrdas for a moment and gave his shoulder a tight squeeze before releasing him.

With a heavy sigh, John turned away from the others, keeping his head down as he clenched his eyes shut.

"What do you want to do, Colonel?" Jackson asked.

John took a minute to collect himself. He was once again feeling like punching someone in the face was a good plan. He was also feeling like breaking down in tears wouldn't hurt. Rodney would never let him hear the end of it if that happened, so he took a few calming breaths instead and turned back to the others.

"We'll figure it out in the morning. Let's head back to the Jumper and get some sleep," he said, reaching up and pulling the elastic band from his hair.

Rodney and Teyla exchanged a worried glance, but followed silently behind John. Daniel strolled along behind them with Ronon and Mednai bringing up the read.

John had never felt so uncomfortable with silence before.


	17. Chapter 17

"Okay, I guess I'll be the one to say it. I'm not normally one to turn down sleep, but Colonel Sheppard is _not_ behaving normally," Rodney said once Sheppard left the Jumper to take first watch.

"Can you blame him, McKay?" replied Jackson as he removed his glasses.

"Hey, I'm not saying he should be one hundred percent fine. But it kind of feels like he's…" Rodney trailed off, making vague gestures.

"Given up?" finished Teyla, quirking a brow.

"Exactly."

"He'll be fine in the morning," Ronon said as he stretched out as much as he could on the bench. He folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

"If I were him, I'd have to take a minute away from everyone to think too. We'll go talk to Oderyn and get the serum and everything will be fine," Daniel said, balling up his jacket to use as a pillow. "Now go to sleep, McKay."

Grumbling to himself, Rodney rolled onto his side between the seats at the front of the Jumper. They clearly had more faith in John's stubbornness and strength than he did.

~oOo~

Pushing his long hair off his face, John leaned his head back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to think right now and that bugged him more than anything. The longer he was like this, the less like himself he felt. This wasn't a difficult situation. It was clear someone was lying to him. Kyrdas' sudden change of heart should have been proof enough there was something more going on. There were some hints of truth to his story, but deciphering where the truth and lies came together was giving him trouble.

"Ahh!" growled John, smacking his head against the tree. He kind of hoped it would clear the cobwebs from his mind.

"Yeah, uh, that won't really help."

"You're supposed to be sleeping, Jackson."

"Don't know if you heard or not, but I'm not really the greatest at doing things I'm supposed to."

John smirked, opening his eyes to look up at Jackson. The man stood before him, hands in his pockets, an amused expression on his face. "Yeah, well, neither am I."

Jackson took that as acceptance and sat down next to John. "McKay seems to think you've given up."

"Yeah, well McKay can bite me. I just need a little while to sort this out. My brain doesn't seem to be working like it should," John replied.

"Not surprising. Doubt anyone's would." Jackson paused for a moment. "Kyrdas seems like the type to say anything to get what he wants and a lot of what he's saying feels wrong, and like Ronon said, too convenient. But if this serum is real, Edrah had to have gotten his hands on it somehow. Best thing to do now is go back and talk to Oderyn." Jackson looked at John out of the corner of his eye.

John nodded. "He would be the one to know if there's any truth in this. But on the other hand, if he lied about that, what else is he lying about?"

"Mm, see that's the thing. Oderyn didn't exactly lie because no one actually _asked_ him about a solution. And if what Kyrdas said was true about Edrah not knowing, he wouldn't just volunteer the information."

Dropping his head into his hands, John groaned. "I'd rather not face him again, but I suppose if we have to…"

"But he likes you. We could use that to our advantage."

"Awesome."

Jackson chuckled as he pushed himself to his feet. "Be better for you to get some sleep as opposed to overthinking this."

"You're probably right, but I'll just end up lying awake."

"Rest is rest," Jackson said with a shrug.

John nodded, conceding to Dr. Jackson. "True enough," he sighed.

~oOo~

Flying over the city, John found a place to land the Jumper that was closer to the repurposed shopping center. It was still far enough away that chances were slim the craft would be found, but be cloaked it anyway."

"Are you sure it was a good idea leaving Ronon with McKay?" Jackson asked as they walked through the ruins.

"I feel better leaving McKay with two guards, just in case. Besides, Ronon is in a pretty bad mood since his pistol was taken, so he can use that to keep Rodney on task," John replied with a smirk. He had opted to leave Rodney, Teyla and Ronon behind and Mednai with them. There was no point in bringing everyone back to the city since they still needed to shut down the tower. Or, as Rodney suggested earlier, rewire it so the EM field was its only purpose.

"Good point. Probably a good think keeping him and Oderyn apart anyway, since when they met they tried to break each other's hands.

John glanced at Daniel briefly, eyebrows raised. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Rolling his eyes, John headed around to the front of the shopping center. Oderyn and Edrah were just leaving, saving them the trouble of looking for the pair.

"Just who we were looking for," John called to them, plastering a friendly smile on his face.

Turning at the sound of John's voice, Oderyn grinned. "If it isn't the _Dehmi_! Back so soon?"

"John! Daniel! What can we do for you?" Edrah asked, smiling as well.

"Our search for a solution led us back here, actually," replied John, his hand hovering over his sidearm just in case.

Edrah's eyes grew wide. "Oh really? So you have some information then?"

"We just came to see if there was any truth in what Kyrdas told us," Daniel said, his tone casual.

The expression that crossed Oderyn's face was extremely telling.

"Yeah, he told us to come talk to you, actually," John added.

Edrah narrowed his eyes and looked up at his friend. "Who is Kyrdas?" There was a very subtle hint of jealousy in his voice.

Oderyn sighed, eyes downcast. "Kyrdas is one of the men from the village near the Portal."

Crossing his arms, Edrah glared up at the man from under his eyebrows. "And how exactly do you know him?"

Daniel and John exchanged a glance. They may not have to ask anything. Edrah seemed like he was on the right track to get the information out of Oderyn.

"We met by accident when I was exploring the city. I was about fifteen cycles at the time," Oderyn answered, still not looking at Edrah. He crossed his arms and kicked at a stone.

A low grumble came from Edrah as he glared at Oderyn. "Would you boys mind terribly if I spoke privately with Oderyn for a moment?"

John shook his head. "Not at all."

Grabbing the man's massive bicep, Edrah pulled Oderyn away. They didn't go too far, just far enough that they could speak quietly without being heard. Oderyn kept his eyes down as he spoke and John and Daniel could see the veins sticking out on Edrah's neck from where they stood.

"Edrah seems a little miffed," Daniel commented, slipping his hands into his pockets as he rocked back on his heels.

"I'm taking that as a good sign," John answered, watching as Edrah made some very pointed gestures.

Daniel flinched as Edrah slapped Oderyn across the face. The sound echoed on the air. "Oh, that looked painful," he said.

"A slap? Really?" John raised an eyebrow.

Edrah now reached up and grabbed Oderyn's face in one hand, squishing his cheeks almost comically as he pointed at him. "—everything! You hear me?"

Oderyn nodded when Edrah released him.

"Remind me not to get on Edrah's bad side," John muttered as the pair returned to where he and Daniel were standing.

"So sorry about that," Edrah said with a stiff smile. "Oderyn has some explaining to do, obviously. He has agreed to explain everything. Right?"

Oderyn gave them a small nod. "I think it would be best if we went somewhere we won't be overheard," he said.

Daniel took one hand out of his pocket and made a sweeping gesture. "Lead the way."

John just gave them a tight smile and tried not to stare at the impressive red handprint on Oderyn's cheek.

"Let's go across the street. There's a building there that will suffice," replied Edrah, replied Edrah, heading out across what looked like it used to be a parking lot. Rubble and debris littered the ground everywhere, along with fire pits and drying racks for animal hides. These people were making the most of the space and even the lot next door looked like it was being used as a training area of sorts.

Together, the four men crossed the cracked and broken road and entered a half-collapsed square building with shattered windows and no door. A broken, circular table was overturned on the floor, which was covered in chunks of the destroyed roof. Frames of chairs and two stools were pushed against the side wall.

Leaning one should against what was once a support column and folding his arms across his chest, Edrah raised an eyebrow at Oderyn. "Well?"

Sighing, Oderyn turned his big brown eyes on John. "Where would you like me to begin?"

"Well…" John began, looking away. "How about when you met Kyrdas."

Daniel hid his smirk from John. He found it amusing that the Colonel was so uncomfortable with the puppy dog expression Oderyn currently wore.

"Like I said, we met when I was exploring. I wasn't supposed to go off on my own, so I never told anyone about him. We became good friends. He told me about the village and the people, and I did the same. I explained to him the water being poisoned and that we fixed the problem. At one point I even invited him to join us, but he refused. We met when we could, but if not, we'd leave letters for one another," explained the big man, glancing between John, Daniel and Edrah. He only glanced briefly at Edrah, seeing how angry he was, but continued anyway.

"We had been friends for about five cycles when he was chosen by Nidrah. After he told me that, it was almost two cycles before we met again. That was when he told me that everything they knew about the tower was a lie. We were always told that once their job was done, their bodies would change back. It's not true. If the leaders wanted, they could just let their _Dehmi_ bleed to death, but to keep the men calm, they developed a drug that reverses the effects of the tower. That way they could keep up their lies and have the population think that it was still just a temporary change.

"I was surprised, but I just let the information sit in the back of my mind, not really paying it any attention. I had forgotten all about it until your accident, Edrah. I tried so hard to develop something that would help. I worked on it endlessly, but in the end the best I could do was that damned supplement." Oderyn wasn't even speaking to John and Daniel anymore. He had turned to Edrah and was almost pleading with him. "I didn't know what else to do, so I begged Kyrdas for his help. I couldn't just let you die. Iyn would have had my head."

"And he stole the drug for you?" Daniel asked, regaining Oderyn's attention.

A strand of hair came loose from Oderyn's ponytail as he nodded. "He risked everything to help me. I injected you after Dyn was born. I did it when you were sleeping so you wouldn't know. I'm sorry."

Edrah pushed himself off the wall and exhaled slowly. "I'm not entirely sure _why_ you didn't tell me any of this before, but if it helps Daniel and John, I'll let it pass for now. Is this what you wanted to know?" he asked, looking past Oderyn to John.

"I think it is," the Colonel answered with a nod.

"Do you have a plan to secure some of this drug for yourself, John?"

"Workin' on it."

"Well if there is anything we can do to help, we will gladly lend our services," Edrah told him, leading the group out of the dilapidated building.

John licked his lips and gave Daniel a sideways glance. "Well, actually…"


	18. Chapter 18

Rodney was no closer to finding a way to reprogram the tower when Colonel Sheppard returned than when he left. The tech was foreign with hints of Ancient inspired design. The crystals didn't do what they were supposed to do and there were wires that seemed to do nothing. It was beyond frustrating how little sense it made.

Sitting up with a grumble, Rodney heard the telltale whine of the Jumper overhead. Teyla and Ronon glanced up at the sky briefly, but otherwise pretended not to notice. Wiping a trickle of sweat from his forehead, Rodney went back to work. He pulled a few more crystals and rerouted a cable in the panel before replacing the crystal in a different spot. The tower gave a low-pitched whine and he looked up with a start.

"It appears to have powered down again," Teyla informed him.

"Dammit!" he hissed, propping his fists on his knees.

"Well, that doesn't sound very promising, Rodney," Sheppard said as he and Daniel entered the clearing, followed by two men.

"Are you sure it's safe to go near it?" one asked, his deep voice nervous.

"Just don't look at the screen," Sheppard replied.

With a sigh, Rodney looked up from the panel and saw Edrah and Oderyn were the men accompanying the colonel. He never actually met Oderyn the first time, but he was just as Teyla described. He was gargantuan.

There was a round of reintroductions, like they couldn't remember people they had met two days ago. The boy—Mednai—looked up at Oderyn with eyes as big as dinner plates and his mouth hanging open. Oderyn grinned back with too many white teeth.

"You two play nice," John said to Ronon and Oderyn as he parted from the group to crouch next to Rodney. "How's it coming?"

"Shutting it down isn't a problem," grumbled Rodney, crossing his arms.

"Well that's a start," said John, patting Rodney on the shoulder and getting back to his feet.

Rodney scowled up at the Colonel. "You're in a good mood," he grumbled, like the very idea of happiness was repulsive.

John grinned. "I've got new toys to play with."

Rodney's eyes darted past John to where Daniel was chatting with Edrah. "What did you bring me?"

"Maybe I can convince them to give us one so you can dissect it, but Edrah has kindly agreed to loan us some of their weapons."

"What do we need those for?"

"I don't really want to turn this into a blood bath. They have energy weapons with an adjustable output."

"So…glorified stun guns."

John shrugged. "Maybe, but it's better than a firefight."

"So you plan on going into the village, zapping everyone and then taking the serum?" Rodney asked, his expression flat.

"I admit the plan needs work," John replied, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well if you want this done, I need to work, so…"

"Are you telling me to go away?"

"I'm telling you to go away."

Shaking his head, John returned to the group. He wasn't at all surprised to see Oderyn and Mednai, while not communicating, were getting along wonderfully. They were laughing and playing together like big kids while Daniel, Edrah, Teyla and Ronon were trying to have a serious discussion.

"I believe going in at night would be the best option," Teyla said to the men as John approached.

Daniel nodded, his brow creased. "Mmhmm, I agree. Less chance of this turning ugly if we go in quietly." He crossed his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Exactly what I was thinking," said John, looking between his team and the new help. "It'll be a bit of a stealth mission. I know my guys can handle it, but what about Oderyn.

A crooked, amused grin tipped Edrah's mouth. "Believe it or not John, but he can be quiet when need be."

As a group, they looked at Oderyn. The man was currently giving Mednai a ride on his shoulders and making entirely too much noise. John slowly turned back to face Edrah, one eye narrowed in suspicion.

Edrah laughed. "I know how it looks, but he can stalk and kill a three hundred pound Brhyn faster and with more ease than anyone I know."

"Well, the three hundred pounds thing is impressive, but I have no idea what a-uh Brhyn is," said John.

"They are very vicious animals, closely resembling what you call wild felines," clarified Teyla.

"Yeah, like those lions Zelenka showed me," Ronon added.

Daniel and John's expressions of amazement mirrored each other.

"Okay, yeah, that's pretty impressive," Daniel said, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

"Good, then you guys will be able to handle things if they turn sour in the village," said John.

"What will you be doing?" asked Edrah, tipping his head to one side.

"What's the plan, Sheppard?" Ronon's scowl didn't seem to shift, but John could see the hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"What I figured is that we split into two groups. Edrah, Oderyn and Teyla can keep things calm, maybe provide a distraction if needed in the village. Ronon, Rodney, Dr. Jackson and I will head into that building at the rear of the village, since that's the most likely place for it to be. We'll grab it if we find it and then head out, hopefully before anyone notices. I don't expect any problems since mostly everyone should be asleep. Any stragglers can be zapped," john explained. The plan was simple enough that they should be able to pull it off quickly and easily.

"Just one problem with this, John," said Oderyn, joining the group. The serious expression on his face seemed out of place.

"Oh? What's that?" John asked, crossing his arms. He had gotten used to the odd feeling he had every time he crossed his arms, but it still made him uncomfortable. He tried not to let it show on his face as he looked up at Oderyn.

"It is Moon Rise tonight."

Edrah clicked his tongue. "Dammit! I forgot all about that."

"Why is that bad?" Daniel frowned, confused as he looked from Edrah to Oderyn and back.

Edrah licked his lips as he stared down at the ground. "Actually we can use it to our advantage. Our moon only rises once every forty days. There is generally an all-night feast to celebrate the three day cycle. We can use that as a distraction if they have a feast as well. It's an Ahyderian tradition, so I assume they would." He looked up as he spoke, briefly meeting John's gaze.

"So you're saying everyone will be busy in the middle of the village and no one will be in that building," John summarized.

"Exactly."

"There are trees surrounding part of the village," Teyla told them. "If we move to the other side of the valley, we should have no trouble entering the village and building undetected."

"A part from incapacitating the village population, it's the best plan. But the moon is extremely bright at full," Oderyn said. With a sigh, the large man flopped down onto the grass. He crossed his arms and legs and scowled at the ground. "I like you John, I really do, but this seems like a bad idea. These men are undoubtedly unfit fighters, so it doesn't seem like you even need help or a plan other than just storming in and taking what you want."

"We were caught once because I didn't want to turn the village into Swiss cheese. If we just waltz back in, they'll try to kill us. I'd like to spare any casualties, so the quieter we can do this, the better," answered John, looking down at Oderyn.

"You really expect all eight of us to sneak in there unnoticed?"

John looked over his shoulder, a little surprised to hear Rodney's voice. After a heartbeat, he scowled and turned around to face the scientist. "No Rodney, I don't," he said, pushing his ponytail over his shoulder. "I still plan on using a bit of an extra distraction while we go in."

Pushing himself to his feet and walking around the open panel, careful not to step on any equipment, Rodney joined the rest of them. "Extra distraction? How 'bout any distraction? Just because there is this feast thing does not mean they won't pay attention to what's going on twenty feet away. Is your brain really that fried?"

"My brain is _fine_, Rodney," John growled through gritted teeth. "If you would just listen to what I plan on doing—"

"And what do you plan on doing with the kid?" Rodney interrupted, waving toward Mednai with a sweep of his hand.

"Rodney, just stop—"

"It's not like you can take him with you to steal from his leader!" The scientist didn't notice that John had his hands balled into fists, holding back the urge to punch him. He was lucky Ronon noticed and put his big hand on John's slender shoulder.

"Rodney, just shut the hell up and listen. Okay?" snarled John, jaw clenched as he spoke. He took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes closed and exhaled slowly to calm himself down. He had been doing a fair job of keeping his mood swings in check, but Rodney always tried his patience. He gave Ronon a slight nod when the man quirked a brow at him.

"So what's the plan?" Daniel asked, bringing the group's attention back to the problem at hand.

"Like I was saying; we'll have to split up."


	19. Chapter 19

Just as Oderyn had said, the moon was indeed very bright. It cast an odd blue-grey glow over the land, making the grass and foliage look as though it was made out of some sort of metal. Skin took on a sickly, greyish hue in the light, which was unnerving. Teyla ignored the odd coloring and kept her gaze ahead as Edrah and Oderyn 'escorted' her toward the village. Mednai was with them, looking frightened just like John told him to. She was sure the boy needed no encouragement to look scared, though, as he was being taken back to the people who had beaten him and treated him like a slave.

Teyla had parted with the rest of her team a quarter hour ago to head to the village. She would have preferred to stay with her friends, the people she knew and trusted, but this was the smartest choice. Colonel Sheppard's plan would be much harder to pull off if they were all lumped into one group.

As they got closer to the tents that made up the village, the sounds of music and conversation reached Teyla's ears. The men sounded as though they were enjoying themselves. It would be quite a shock when Edrah and Oderyn 'crashed' their party, as Colonel Sheppard had put it. He assumed that alone would serve as a distraction, but to add to the confusion, they would show up with Teyla and Mednai in tow.

As soon as one villager spotted them, he alerted the others. The music stopped and a few of the larger men—none of which even equalled Edrah's size—stood up. They looked understandably confused.

"What is going on here?" Kyrdas asked, shoving his way through a group of men to glare at the newcomers. He didn't let it show on his face that he knew Oderyn, and Teyla hoped Oderyn's expression was equally as blank.

"Sorry to interrupt your fun," Edrah began, "But we found these two and thought they might belong to you."

"The boy is ours, but the woman is not," Kyrdas said, turning toward Teyla. "It was not smart of you to return. Lady Nidrah has ordered the death of you and your friends if you were to return."

"It was not by choice, Kyrdas. I was looking for the others after they did not return when these men took me into their custody," replied Teyla, head held high. Her jaw was clenched and she made sure her face showed just how much she would rather be elsewhere.

"Take her away," Kyrdas instructed two nearby men.

"Whoa, pal. Hold on a second." Edrah thumped a heavy hand on Teyla's shoulder. "Pretty sure we don't harm women on Ahyder. Let alone put them to death. If she's not yours, she will come home with us."

One of them men who had been instructed to take Teyla way glanced from Kyrdas to Edrah with a confused scowl. "Who are these men?"

"Us? Sorry for lack of introductions," Oderyn said, turning his charming grin on the group. "I am Oderyn and this is Edrah. We are from the city, but came out to do some hunting. We really should have given you our names sooner."

"The city?" one man asked. He looked in their direction with blind eyes, the irises milky white. "The city was destroyed years ago!"

"We live in the ruins," clarified Edrah. "Didn't you know there were other Ahyderian settlements?"

"You're lying!" another man shouted. "You came through the Portal like she did!"

Edrah raised an eyebrow at the man. "Honestly. Would I know about the _Fvet'Ur_ and the Moon Rise feast if that were the case? Ridiculous."

After that, a shouting match started and Teyla hoped the chaos was enough for John and the others. She also hoped that Nidrah's absence from the feast wasn't a sign of ill luck.

~oOo~

Hiding in the bushes was not on John's list of fun things to do, but they served as good cover, so here he was. Jackson was at his back, Rodney behind him and Ronon at their six. They each had one of the Ahyderian bang stick weapons and were waiting for Teyla's signal. She would click her radio twice when the villagers were sufficiently distracted. John could already head the men arguing and it was escalating quickly.

"Well, they got riled up fast," Jackson whispered.

John had to agree. It couldn't have been two minutes since they entered the village and they were already yelling at one another. There was a crash and two quick clicks in his ear almost immediately after. As soon as he heard the clicks, he was up and moving. He spared a glance toward the center of the village as they crossed to the building. The group looked dangerously close to an all-out brawl, the tension radiating off them in waves.

Pushing the door open as quietly as he could, John waited for the others to file inside before slipping in himself. Ronon was leading them down the long corridor to what Jackson had dubbed the throne room. They all had their bang sticks ready just in case they ran into trouble and regular side arms as an added precaution.

When they got into the room, John had them fan out to check the room. There was a short wooden door in the back corner, an overabundance of tapestries hanging on the walls and low shelves lining the room. Apart from some no doubt culturally significant items, John wasn't seeing anything. There were no cupboards or secret compartments in the shelves or in the base of the chair.

"Rodney, you and Ronon keep looking here. Jackson, let's check this back room out," John whispered, motioning toward the door. As Jackson joined him, he pushed the door open and was immediately disappointed. The room was maybe ten feet by ten feet with a bed and a wooden wash tub. Nothing adorned the walls, no rug covered the stone floor and there was one unlit sconce.

"Check for false walls," John instructed Jackson, moving into the small room. John knelt down on the floor to check beneath the bed, but saw nothing, so he got back up and helped Jackson push on stones.

"Maybe there's nothing left," Jackson said to him as they checked the south wall.

"That thought did cross my mind, but I'd like for it to not be true," John replied, glancing over at Jackson as he reached up and pushed on a stone brick near the ceiling.

"I'm sure, but with really no clue as to where she may have hidden this serum, chances of finding it are pretty low." Jackson put his hand on the sconce as he spoke, leaning on it ever so slightly. He moved to push himself away from the wall and the sconce shifted under his hand. His eyes got big and his mouth fell open as the sound of stone scraping stone filled the room.

"What the hell?" John looked quickly around the room, but other than the sconce, nothing had moved.

Jackson held John's gaze for a heartbeat before the pair rushed back into the main room. The chair had moved, sliding back about six feet to reveal a staircase leading downward in a spiral.

"You guys do that?" Ronon asked as he and Rodney stared at the opening.

"Uh…yeah. I think so," Jackson answered.

"Well…down there seems like a good hiding place. Let's go." Raising his bang stick, John started down the stairs.

"This seems like something straight out of a bad movie," Rodney commented behind him. Even speaking quietly, his voice carried, reverberating off the bare stone.

John had to admit it did seem like a cliché dungeon-crawler, rescue a princess in the tallest tower type of setting, right down to the flickering torchlight and cobwebs. Their boot steps echoed around them and it got colder the further down they went. By the time they reached the bottom, John had goosebumps and he could see his breath.

"Is it just me, or does that door look a little too fancy to be down here?" Rodney asked, stepping off the last step. At the end of a short all, there was a door set into the stone. This door was pristine white with a glowing screen built in at eye-level. There was no door handle or access panel of any sort.

"Huh." John walked the fifteen paces to the door and looked at the screen. With a flicker, a string of symbols filled the screen, each one briefly darker than the others, like it was showing him his options. "Jackson? Little help?"

Jackson stepped up next to John and scowled at the screen. He put his finger to his lips and tipped his head slightly to the right. After thirty seconds, he reached up and touched the screen. The symbol under his finger turned white and started twirling. Something beeped and the door slid into the wall. Jackson let out a low whistle.

Cautiously, John led the others into the lab. He knew right away this wasn't Ancient design. It was too stark. Too clinical. The floor and walls were white tile, polished and gleaming. Large pot lights were set into the ceiling, causing glare on all of the buffed steel surfaces. In the center of the room was a steel table with stirrups and restraints. Cupboards lined the walls and a sink sat in one corner. Under the table, there was a large drain set into the floor.

"Birthing room?" Jackson said, looking into an uncovered plastic container with an assortment of fabric at the bottom.

"Like something straight out of a horror movie," sighed John. There were even blood stains in the grout around the drain. "Start searching."

"What exactly am I supposed to be looking for?" Ronon asked, pulling a container from one of the overhead cupboards.

"A vial with liquid of some sort in it seems most likely," replied Daniel, shuffling through the contents of a drawer.

"Would have been helpful if someone asked Kyrdas what it looked like. It's not like we can test it and find out," grumbled Rodney as he pulled open a low cupboard.

"I doubt they have a wide selection of medicines down here Rodney." John glanced over his shoulder at the scientist briefly before turning back to what he was doing. So far he had searched three cabinets and turned up nothing but some rolls of medical tape and metal instruments that looked like they could inflict a lot of pain. The fourth cabinet he opened had what appeared to be empty test tube racks. The fifth cabinet was the last on this wall and it was also empty, save for an oversized syringe.

Puffing a sharp breath through his nose, John moved to the lower cupboards while Jackson continued with the drawers. The four of them were silent as they searched, the noises from shuffling through drawers and cupboards absurdly loud to John.

"Everything seems pretty cleaned out," Jackson said after he finished with the drawers.

"Yeah, all I'm finding is clothes," Ronon replied, closing a cabinet.

"I don't know what you're looking for, but you won't find it down here."

The group turned at the sound of the voice and saw Nidrah standing in the doorway, leaning heavily on her cane. The lines on her face appeared more severe in the harsh lighting and her eyes were narrowed into slits.

John aimed his weapon at her. "You sure can move quietly for someone your age."

The corner of her mouth twitched. "You are very rude to your elders, boy," she growled at him.

"Only the ones who're trying to kill me," John replied with a tight smile.

The old woman scoffed. " "Oh, you're quite mistaken. I won't kill you. The men in the village might, though. Or maybe I should just let you bleed to death like the ungrateful mutt you are." As she spoke to him, her jaw clenched and she bared her teeth, almost snarling at him.

"Is that what happened to the others that bled to death? They defied you, so you refused to help them?" Daniel questioned, his own bang stick aimed at the old woman.

Nidrah shot a dark glare at Daniel. "Know your place _tekdah_! You are not worthy of my attention."

"Seriously?" Rodney raised his eyebrows as Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Men are just worthless rats who only live because I allow it."

"Listen lady, I don't know where you got your twisted ideas, but—" Rodney began to say before Nidrah interrupted him.

"Silence!" she barked, pulling something from the folds in her robe. She moved surprisingly fast, and before John could blink there was a deafening bang and Rodney screamed.

John glanced over at the man who had collapsed on the floor, clutching his leg. Blood was soaking into the cloth of his pant leg and oozing through his fingers.

"I don't take very kindly to people who shoot my friends, lady," he growled. It wasn't a life threatening wound; whatever she shot him with only puncturing the fat of his outer thigh, but John was still pissed.

Nidrah turned the weapon on John, the majority of it hidden in her leathery hand. He couldn't quite see what it was, but it looked similar to a P3AT mousegun. "You are troublesome," she said.

"You are outnumbered, Nidrah. Put the weapon down," John told her, holding out one hand, palm down and fingers spread.

"Why should I listen to you, eh? All you want to do is turn them against me!" she shouted back, waving her weapon at John.

"We aren't trying to do anything like that. All we want is to show your people they have options besides the _Fvet'Ur_. And we want to help Colonel Sheppard," Daniel said in a soft, calming tone.

"You can't help! You need to accept this gift!" she spat at John, her arm quaking from holding it in the air.

"You're the only one who thinks this is a good thing. Have you ever had your gender suddenly swapped on you? Let me tell you it is probably one of the worst things I've ever experienced. I've been beat up, shot at, had the life literally sucked out of me, but it doesn't compare to the constant pain, the humiliation, the awkwardness. I'm telling you, no one would choose this if they know they have another option. We are giving them that option. Because honestly, this is cruel and unusual punishment," john said to her, taking small steps toward the woman as he spoke. He could see the fury on her face and he was hoping her anger would distract her long enough that he could knock the weapon from her hand.

"They have no other options! They will do as I say!" shrieked Nidrah, her voice cracking. "If they abandon me, they will all suffer!"

John lunged for the weapon, but before he could grab it, it went off with an ear splitting bang.


	20. Chapter 20

Past the ringing in his ears, all Daniel could hear was his heartbeat thumping loudly. His cheek was stinging, but it wasn't a serious enough pain to give it much attention. For a split second he thought Nidrah had hit Colonel Sheppard, but the man managed to redirect the weapon.

"You okay Jackson?" Sheppard asked, looking over his shoulder at him as he held Nidrah's wrist in the air.

"What?" Daniel called back, positive he was shouting. His ears were still ringing and he could hear muffled voices beyond the sound. McKay was shouting at him, most likely complaining about his leg. He glanced over at Ronon, who merely looked impatient. The big man gave a shake of his head and crossed the room in three strides. He grabbed the woman's wrists and held her still. Colonel Sheppard pried the weapon from her hand. He looked at it for a few seconds before slipping it into his pocket.

"Where is it, Nidrah?" Sheppard asked, his voice audible now past the fading ringing in Daniel's ears.

The woman raised her chin and glared at John. "I don't know what you're talking about."

A muscle in Sheppard's jaw twitched. "I am _not_ in the mood to play games, lady. The novelty of this is long gone. Give me the serum," he growled through clenched teeth.

Nidrah remained quiet.

"Tell me, or I'll blow your precious tower sky high." John leaned in close, his voice a harsh whisper.

A flash of worry crossed Nidrah's face, but she stayed silent.

"Jackson."

"Yeah?"

"Help McKay. We're gonna go set off some fireworks." With a nod at Ronon, they left Daniel to tend to McKay and disappeared through the door.

"Do you have any field dressings?" Daniel asked McKay, kneeling next to him.

Rodney nodded. "In—in the middle pocket," he said, still clutching his leg.

Daniel pulled the bandage out, unrolled it and started wrapping it around McKay's thigh. The scientist occasionally complained he was wrapping it too tightly, but Daniel ignored him. When he finished, he wiped his hands on his shirt and stood up, reaching out of help McKay to his feet as well.

"Your face is dripping," McKay said, pointing vaguely at Daniel's cheek.

"It'll be fine," Daniel replied, hooking McKay's arm around his neck so he could help him out of the room and up the stairs. Daniel was already dreading every minute of the stairs and they weren't even in the hall yet.

"Of course it'll be fine. It's a scratch on your face," McKay grumbled. "I, on the other hand, have a gaping hole in my leg!"

"It's not a gaping hole. It isn't even that bad."

"Compared to what? Dying?"

"Shut up, McKay." He was surprised when the man complied, focusing his attention on each step instead. McKay was putting more weight on Daniel than necessary, but he'd rather deal with that than constant complaints. It was bad enough that McKay was making irritating sounds every time he put even a little weight on the leg. And that happened on every single step on the way back up. By the time they stepped out into the throne room, Daniel's head was throbbing and he was more than ready to dump McKay on the next person he saw. That person happened to be Edrah.

"What happened?" Edrah questioned, looking from Daniel's cheek to McKay's thigh. "John wouldn't stop long enough to tell me anything besides wait for you."

"Nidrah pulled a weapon on us. We found a hidden room under the building that seemed like a medical lab or birthing room," explained Daniel, relaying their find to Edrah.

Edrah frowned. "I've seen rooms like what you're describing in the city. Seems odd they'd have one out here. Was probably constructed after survivors fled the city."

"That makes sense. Seems like the started making a permanent settlement, but things came to a halt for some reason and just never picked up again," McKay said through gritted teeth.

Edrah took McKay's free arm, allowing Daniel to move away. "Are you all right, Dr. McKay?"

"I was _shot_. No, I'm not all right."

"He'll live," said Daniel. "Where did everyone go?" As they moved away from the building, he noticed that there wasn't a single person in sight. The village was a mess; a large table was overturned, food and dishes scattered everywhere. A couple of tents had been flattened and the heavy fabric was splattered with stains.

"They followed John."

"What happened after we went inside?" Daniel now asked.

"Things got a little out of hand. And much more quickly than I expected," Edrah started, helping McKay walk as they headed out of the village, toward the path leading up to the forest. "We mentioned we were from the city and things turned into a shouting match. Kyrdas managed to calm a few, even got them to listen. Basically they are divided. Half the men believe Kyrdas, follow him loyally, but the other half are still brainwashed by Nidrah's ways. It's not pretty."

Daniel nodded, scowling at the ground. "They'll have to believe once they are shown Nidrah has been lying to them. Whether she tells them herself or we force them to see."

"You should know you can't force anyone to do what they don't want to do," McKay said, hobbling along next to Edrah.

"I know that, McKay, but these people have been lied to their entire lives and they need to see that."

Rodney grumbled something under his breath but Daniel didn't ask him to repeat himself.

~oOo~

"John, are you certain this is the best course of action?" Teyla asked, handing over the C4 she had in her vest.

"No, but I'm sick of being lied to, and if I have to blow this thing up to get answers then that's what I'll do," he said, taking the explosives. "I really hope this is enough."

"They know you're hiding things from them Nidrah. This doesn't have to escalate if you just give them what they want," Kyrdas said to the old woman.

"You are a traitor," Nidrah hissed.

"And you have always been a stubborn old hag." Kyrdas turned away from the woman as she tried again to escape Ronon's grasp. "I will be very glad to see this eyesore leveled."

A murmur rippled through the crowd as Kyrdas walked away from Nidrah to join John at the tower. Oderyn stood nearby with Mednai, keeping an eye on the group and making sure another brawl didn't break out.

"Did Edrah tell them how Nidrah is his great grandmother?" John asked loud enough that those nearby would hear.

"Yes he did. These men didn't even know she had children," replied Oderyn.

"That is because the last time I saw my daughter she was only one cycle old!" Nidrah growled. "Eighty six cycles ago!"

Oderyn raised his eyebrows. "How old _are_ you?"

"She's one hundred and two cycles. Well past her prime," Kyrdas replied. He crossed his arms and glanced over his shoulder at the woman.

"All right," John said, making sure the C4 was secure. He stood up, detonator in hand. "Tell me where you stashed our gear and where the serum is, and I may consider leaving this thing intact."

"There is no serum!"

John sighed. "I suggest we move away from the tower. Don't want any casualties." He started walking away from the tower, nodding at Teyla and Ronon.

"Are you seriously going to destroy the _Fvet'Ur_?" one man asked, grabbing John's arm as he walked by. He had big blue eyes and a hopeful expression.

"Sure as hell gonna try," he replied.

"Thank you."

John gave him a sharp nod and continued walking through the large crowd. "See, Nidrah? These men are not happy with you. Now, I'm sure you have your reasons to try and keep this lie alive, but at this point you have two choices: tell them the truth, or let them die off."

Teyla walked behind john as they moved back into the trees. His shoulders were tense and he was clenching and unclenching his hands like he was struggling to keep a burst of violence contained. His entire body was practically vibrating. Concerned, she approached Colonel Sheppard and put her hand on his shoulder. He turned toward, arm raised, ready to strike whoever touched him. When he saw it was Teyla, he lowered his arm, but the fury never left his eyes.

"What?" he barked.

"Colonel Sheppard, you are not thinking clearly. Your anger is causing you to make rash decisions. If you destroy the tower, Rodney will not be able to power the EM field that protected these people from the Wraith," she told him, speaking softly.

"I don't care! I'm done with this game!" John shouted, turning back to Nidrah, the C4 detonator clenched in his hand. 'You have three seconds to tell me what I want to know." His thumb hovered over the switch as he spoke.

Teyla glanced at Oderyn, who gave her a small nod. Before John could detonate the explosives, Oderyn grabbed his arm. John spun on his heel, swinging his fist at the taller man. He dropped the detonator as he turned, more concerned with fighting Oderyn. Teyla grabbed the remote off the ground as John's fist connected with Oderyn's jaw.

"John!" called Teyla as she watched her friend flailing and throwing punches at Oderyn.

"Let me go!" shrieked John, biting the other man's arm as Oderyn tried to restrain him.

"Colonel Sheppard!" Teyla tried again, but John wasn't listening. It felt like John wasn't even there any longer.

As Oderyn wrapped his arms around John's waist, trying to hold him still, the Colonel kicked and struggled. Animalistic growls were leaving John's mouth in place of words and his eyes had glazed over.

"What's gotten into him?" Ronon asked, raising an eyebrow at their friend.

"His body is severely overproducing hormones. The longer he's in this state, the more sudden and violent the mood swings will get. He won't calm down until he's sedated," Edrah answered as he, Daniel and Rodney joined the group. "I had a few moments like that myself."

John was seething; his breathing too fast and his pupils were dilated. This seemed like more than just a hormonal shift to Teyla, but she could do nothing but watch as he struggled against Oderyn, kicking his legs and trying to free his pinned arms. His chest was heaving and his nostrils flared with each breath.

"He is dying, though. Everything is working in overdrive and eventually his body will just shut down. And by the look of it…" Edrah sighed, tipping his head to look at John. The man seemed like he was in survival mode, like any female animal if her babies were threatened. "…he doesn't have long."

"Is that blood?" Daniel asked, brow creased with worry.

Teyla looked back at john, who had stopped flailing for the moment, but was gritting his teeth in pain. His pants were clinging to his legs and something dark was pooling on the ground by his foot.

"Ronon, let Nidrah go," Teyla said, looking at her friend.

"You sure?" he asked in return, looking down at the woman, who had been silent for a while now.

"Yes."

With a shrug, Ronon released Nidrah and stepped away from her.

"Nidrah, please," Teyla began, taking the old woman's hands in her own. "My friend is dying and he needs your help. Surely you would not allow a guest on your planet to die because of an accident?"

Nidrah clenched her jaw. "He has been given a great gift."

"While you may see it as that, our people are very different. This was an accident that needs to be dealt with. Nidrah, please help him."

"If you won't do it for him, do it for your daughter," Edrah said, handing Rodney off to Daniel. "She would not have wanted off-worlders to suffer because of our ways."

"Who are you to speak of _my_ daughter, _tekdah_?" Nidrah was still scowling, but her eyes had softened some.

"She was my grandmother and a great influence in my upbringing," explained Edrah, bowing to Nidrah. "I loved her dearly and she often spoke of returning here so she could meet her mother."

"She is dead, then? You speak of her in past tense."

Edrah nodded. "For several cycles she has been gone. But her daughter—your granddaughter, my mother—is very much alive and well. I believe she would greatly enjoy meeting you."

"Why?"

Teyla could see that Edrah was getting through to her and silently urged him to keep going.

"Why? Because you are family. The one thing my mother values above all else is family."

With a sigh, Nidrah shook her head. "It does not matter. I am old and a journey like that would surely kill me."

"No. The off-worlders have a ship. If you help them, they would gladly take you to the ruins. Right, Teyla?" Edrah looked to her for the answer.

Teyla nodded. Whatever it took…"Of course we will. Please, just tell me where the serum is so I can help my friend."

The group of men muttered amongst themselves as Nidrah thought. She sighed heavily, squeezing Teyla's hands, her own shaking like leaves.

"You have worn this old woman down. Fine, I will tell you."

Teyla couldn't help the smile that spread across her face in relief. "Thank you."

"There is a well-disguised door in the face of the cliff behind the hall. Inside there is a long corridor with three doors. The third door is the one you seek. The serum is kept in a locked temperature controlled box. You will need this to unlock it," she explained to them, pulling a necklace over her head.

"That's grandmother's pendant!" Edrah exclaimed.

Nidrah shook her head. Nidrah shook her head. "It was my husband's first. He and I were the only ones with the keys." She handed the necklace over to Teyla. "Be quick, before your friend dies."


	21. Chapter 21

Teyla only lingered long enough to instruct Ronon to take the others back to the Puddle Jumper. Dr. Jackson chose to follow her and she didn't complain. The man could keep up with her and at the moment, that was all she was concerned with. She could hear his boot steps at her back and the rustling of leaves and other flora being disturbed by their careful but hurried movements. She pushed herself hard, not sure how long Colonel Sheppard had. A thing branch sliced a shallow cut in her neck, but she ignored it and kept running.

They skirted the village, cutting across the cliff wall the backed the one permanent building in the settlement. The rock was covered in thick moss and vines, but it didn't slow them down. Together, Teyla and Daniel started searching, patting down the moss and tearing away vines. Daniel was the one to find the door, which was set into the rock and completely overgrown.

"Third door," Teyla said to herself as Daniel pulled open a heavy door. In the back of her mind, she wondered how an old woman like Nidrah ever opened this on her own.

The hall was dark, the only light coming from the bright moon outside. Teyla still had her P90 and the light attached, so she turned it on and aimed it down the hall. She moved inside, cautious, but still moving quickly. Their boot steps echoed on the smooth tile floor and the flat, dull grey walls and ceiling. Just as Nidrah had said, there were three doors, spaced evenly, along the right side of the hall. Each door was matte silver with a latch and no indication of what was inside the room. At the movement though, short of someone trying to kill her she had no interest in anything but the third room.

"These doors are locked," Daniel said as they moved past the first two doors.

"As long as the third is not," Teyla replied. She stopped in front of the last door and tried the latch. It was locked. They had no key, there was no number pad to override the lock, and they didn't carry any tools they could use to pick the lock.

"Could always shoot it," suggested Daniel, glancing from the latch to Teyla.

Frowning, the Athosian looked around. "There is a high possibility of ricochet."

"True, but what choice do we have?"

Letting out a short sigh, Teyla nodded. "Fine, but be careful."

Daniel looked momentarily surprised that she wanted him to do it, but the expression disappeared as he stepped up and pulled his side arm from the holster. He stood an arm's length from the door, aiming at the latch and covering his face with his free arm.

"Okay, on the count of three. "One…Two…Three!" On the last number, he pulled the trigger. The bang was ear-splitting in the enclosed space, but Teyla was happy to see the destroyed latch hanging limply from its mounting. She nudged the door open with the toe of her boot and it swung open. Whatever sound it may have made as it did was lost on both Teyla and Daniel.

The room in front of them was brightly lit, the white walls blinding after the gloom of the hall. A waist height wooden table sat in the center of the room, the surface covered by all of the equipment that had been taken from John, Ronon and Daniel. Teyla was glad to see that, but she was relieved to see the wall length storage unit at the rear of the room. It reminded her of the coolers in the infirmary where Dr. Beckett stored certain medicines and samples. The doors—six total—were clear glass so a person could easily see the contents. Only one shelf was occupied. Behind the third door, on the top shelf was a rack with three vials.

"I'll grab as much of this as I can carry, you get the serum," said Daniel, already slipping on his TAC vest.

Teyla approached the cooler as she pulled the pendant from her pocket. Next to the handle for the door was a small rectangle with an indentation. It looked like it could have been the mould from which the pendant was created. Taking a deep breath, Teyla pressed the pendant into the indentation and there was an audible click and a beep. Without hesitation, she pulled the door open and carefully pulled out one of the vials. As she held it in her hand, only now did it cross her mind that whatever the contents were may be poisonous. It may kill John instantly. Before she closed the door, she grabbed a second vial for Dr. Beckett to test.

Slipping the vials into her vest and making sure they wouldn't smash against one another while she ran, Teyla went to help Daniel. She grabbed the remaining vest and P90 off the table, slipped the last handgun into her waistband like Daniel was doing and then reached up to activate her radio.

"Ronon, we are on our way back," she said, leading Daniel back into the hall. There was silence for a moment and a crackle of silence before any reply came.

"_You might want to hurry_." Ronon eventually replied. There were voices in the background.

"How is he?" she asked.

"_Listen._" Ronon was quiet for a moment and in their ear pieces they could hear agonized shrieks. "_Just hurry_."

Teyla and Daniel exchanged a brief glance before breaking into a flat out sprint. She hoped they wouldn't be too late.

~oOo~

"Can't we just zap him?" Rodney asked, cringing. Between the pain in his leg and Colonel Sheppard's screaming, he was ready to kill someone.

"At this point, it would be too risky," Edrah replied, trying to hold John's arms flat. They had him stretched out on the bench in the rear of the Puddle Jumper, pinning his arms and legs so he wouldn't hurt himself. Mednai was sitting next to Rodney on the opposite bench, gnawing on his bottom lip and quivering in fear.

"Why can't we just take him home?" Ronon asked.

"We need to keep him flat for a while, at least until the bleeding slows. It's best we give him a chance to calm down before taking him through the 'gate," Rodney said through gritted teeth.

"Any shook to his system could kill him right now," Oderyn added, holding John's leg's flat.

"And 'gate travel can be a pretty big shock."

Ronon just grumbled something under his breath before walking back down the ramp to keep an eye out for Teyla and Jackson.

"We are going to have to go through though," Rodney added to himself, watching John and feeling utterly helpless. The Colonel was breathing fast, clenching his jaw and arching his back. There was another string of screams before he sagged against the bench again. The man was in a very bad way and they would have to get him back to Beckett sooner rather than later.

"_Rodney, dial the 'gate and tell them to have a medical team waiting._" Teyla said into his ear, interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh it," Rodney answered, pushing himself to his feet. He hobbled to the front of the Jumper and collapsed in the pilot seat. With practiced ease, he dialed Atlantis and watched the Stargate through the Puddle Jumper windscreen.

"Atlantis, this is McKay," he said, trying to keep some of the panic out of his voice.

"_Go ahead, Rodney_," Dr. Weir answered almost immediately.

"As soon as Teyla and Jackson get here, we're coming through. We need a medical team ready when we get there."

"_For who_?"

"Colonel Sheppard. One for me wouldn't hurt either," Rodney replied.

"_All right. We'll be waiting._"

"Shouldn't be long. I'm leaving the 'gate open."

_"Understood._"

Rodney was just pushing himself out of the chair when Ronon disappeared from the Jumper. Moving as fast as he could, Rodney hobbled through the Jumper and down the ramp. Ronon closed the distance between the Jumper and Teyla as she immerged from the forest, Jackson in tow. Ronon took the extra gear from Teyla and his pistol from Jackson as they slowed to a jog.

"Rodney, can you fly the Jumper, or should we leave it?" Teyla asked him before she even reached the bottom of the ramp.

"Are you kidding? Sheppard would kill me if I left the Jumper behind. I can't promise a smooth ride though," Rodney replied, hobbling back to the front of the Jumper.

"It's a short trip," Jackson said, slipping into the co-pilot seat. He was breathing hard, his words airy.

Before Rodney could say anything, someone hit the panel for the ramp, sealing the ship up for the short ride through the wormhole. Just like he thought, the take-off was a little jerky and he brought the Jumper around too fast, but he was able to get them through the Stargate in one piece.


	22. Chapter 22

As soon as the Jumper set down in the bay and the rear hatch was lowered, there was a flurry of activity. Two medical teams quickly wheeled John and Rodney off to the infirmary, Teyla on their heels. She was speaking to Beckett about two vials in her hand as the doctor gave instructions to his staff. Once they were gone, things fell silent, leaving Daniel, Ronon and the three Ahyderians with a somewhat confused Dr. Weir.

"Mednai I remember, but who are these men?" she asked, looking up at Edrah and Oderyn.

Daniel introduced Elizabeth to the two men. "They helped us out," he said, watching as Elizabeth shook their hands.

"Thank you for your assistance," she said, giving them a tight smile. She was obviously unhappy to have more surprise guests, but didn't voice her opinion.

"We look forward to continuing our relationship with your people," Edrah said to her, bowing deeply.

"Teyla offered to trade with them," said Ronon.

"Excellent. We always appreciate new allies," Elizabeth answered, turning back to Daniel. "You should get that checked out, Dr. Jackson." She indicated the slice on his cheek.

"Uh, yeah. I probably should," Daniel replied, touching the wound. It had started seeping again.

"What shall we do, Daniel?" Oderyn asked, glancing at Edrah and Oderyn.

"We could have someone take you home," said Daniel, crossing his arms.

"If it is all right with you, Dr. Weir, I would prefer to stay until we know if John will be okay," replied Edrah, looking down at the woman.

Elizabeth thought for a moment, sighing quietly. Eventually she nodded, giving in to the concerned expression both Edrah and Oderyn wore. "I'm sure we can find somewhere for you to stay."

With a smile, Edrah took Dr. Weir's hand and kissed her knuckles. "Thank you very much, Dr. Weir. We greatly appreciate this."

This time, Elizabeth's smile was more relaxed. "I'll show you to your rooms."

"Mednai, are you coming?" Oderyn asked the boy.

The blond shook his head and scooted closer to Daniel, grabbing his vest.

Edrah laughed, putting his hand on Mednai's head. "He reminds me of our daughter."

"I think we should adopt him when we get home," Oderyn replied as they followed Elizabeth from the Jumper bay.

"Are you coming with us to the infirmary?" Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow at Ronon.

The big Satedan shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll wait until Sheppard is back to himself."

"That's not quite what I meant, but okay." Daniel shrugged and led Mednai out of the bay. As they walked, Mednai patted his hand against Daniel's bicep, trying to gain his attention. Daniel stopped and looked down at him. The boy started making a flurry of gestures, his hands moving so fast that Daniel couldn't understand what he was trying to say.

"Mednai. Mednai, slow down!" Daniel said, making sure the kid was looking at him.

Swallowing hard, Mednai started again, but moved his hands much more slowly. The gestures were a little disjointed, but Daniel got the gist of what he was saying.

"You're asking what will happen once you leave and if Colonel Sheppard is okay, right?"

Mednai nodded frantically.

Daniel sighed. "I'm sure Colonel Sheppard will be fine. As for what will happen when you go home? Things will be different for a while, but I think things will be much better for you."

Mednai didn't look satisfied.

"Trust me. Everything will be fine." Daniel smiled at Mednai.

The boy frowned up at Daniel, but nodded. He looked positively put-out, but Daniel found the expression absurdly amusing. He chuckled to himself as he turned away from Mednai, continuing in the direction of the infirmary.

As they walked, he unzipped his vest and reminded himself to return it to the locker room after he got his face looked at.

"Oh! Dr. Jackson! I'll be with you in a moment," Dr. Beckett said, rushing by as they entered the infirmary.

"No problem. It's nothing life threatening," Daniel said, taking off his vest and perching on one of the unoccupied beds. He glanced around, seeing medical staff running around, preparing surgical instruments and medication.

"Okay Dr. Jackson, let's take a look," Dr. Beckett said with a sigh, moving in front of Daniel. He reached up and took Daniel's chink between thumb and forefinger. Beckett turned Daniel's head so he could get a better look at the injury.

"How are Colonel Sheppard and McKay?" Daniel said as Beckett started cleaning his wound.

"Sedated, the both of them," Dr. Beckett replied with a smirk. "Rodneh is getting' stitched up and we're trying to stabilize Colonel Sheppard while we run a couple of tests on the serum."

"Tests?"

"Don't want to poison the Colonel by accident. Now hold still," Beckett said, holding up a needle.

"I hate stitches," Daniel sighed, pulling off his glasses.

"Well, then you'll be pleased tae know you only need five."

"Yay."

Dr. Beckett smirked as he started stitching the wound. Mednai watched with pure fascination as the silk was tugged through Daniel's skin and the sides of the slice were pulled together. Once the wound was closed, Dr. Beckett stuck two butterfly bandages to his cheek and started to clean up.

"Doctor, the tests on the serum are complete," a nurse said as she approached the bed where Daniel sat. Mednai looked up at her with wide eyes and she smiled back.

"Thank you." Beckett nodded at her and she left them alone again. "Well, let's go see if we can give this tae the Colonel without killing him."

"Actually I've got a few things to do, but I'm sure Mednai would love to stick around," Daniel said.

Beckett looked at the blond. "I'm sure we can find a place for him," the doctor said with a smile.

"Great. I'll probably stop in later." Daniel waved at Mednai, but the boy was more interested in what the nurses were doing. Shaking his head, Daniel scooped the TAC vest up and left the infirmary.

~oOo~

Teyla sat next to John's bed in the private room. Dr. Beckett had administered the serum to the colonel an hour ago and so far there was no change. The heart rate monitor was beeping at steady intervals, but beyond that she couldn't make sense of the information on the other screens. A nurse or Dr. Beckett made intermittent visits to check on John, but never appeared overly concerned. She supposed that mean he was doing all right.

"Are you still sitting here?" Beckett asked, entering the room to check on john again. "Nothing is going to change for a while and we're keepin' a close eye on him."

"I know Carson, but I feel as though someone ought to be with him," Teyla answered.

"I could put Mednai in here if that would make you feel better."

Teyla smiled at Carson. "That boy has had his share of trauma. I do not think it would be good for him to see John like this."

"I'm fairly certain Colonel Sheppard would'nae want _anyone_ tae see him like this," Beckett replied. "From what Oderyn explained to me, the transformation can take quite a while and it is not pleasant. There's nothing you can do for him right now. You should go get some rest."

Teyla sighed, looking back at john. After a moment, she rose from her chair. Dr. Beckett was right; there was nothing she could do here.

"You can come back in the morning once you've had a proper night sleep," he told her, ushering her from the room.

"Good night, Carson," she said over her shoulder.

"Good night."

~oOo~

Blinding pain did not even begin to describe what John woke up to. His entire being was in agony and he wanted to call out to someone to pump him full of morphine, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was a scream. He didn't even know he was capable of that kind of sound.

Not only was he experiencing a new level of pain, the other sensations he could identify were just so _wrong_ that he would feel more comfortable ripping his skin off. He felt like he was melting at a cellular level and being repeatedly stabbed and burned. There were so many things going on that he brain simply refused to recognize more than a few.

Another scream tore from John's throat.

Someone started touching his arms, sending new spikes of excruciating pain through his body. He tried to pull away, but the hand held him still. His head was filled with the sound of his own shrieks that wouldn't stop no matter how much he wanted.

He wasn't sure how long he was awake a screeching, but after a while, the sound started to fade, becoming garbled and distant. The pain felt far away, too. Everything was slipping away and he was so grateful for the quiet, still darkness waiting for him.

~oOo~

"How is he?" Edrah asked Carson as they waited outside the private room.

"He's coming along nicely. He'll be in a mood for a few days I think, but he'll be fine." Carson smiled up at the large men who had been hovering around the infirmary for the better part of three hours.

"Good to hear. I wish I had been under your care during my time," Edrah said to the doctor, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I've done nothing more than keep him sedated," Carson replied.

"Believe me, my friend; when you have to listen to those blood-curdling, bone-chilling screams for hours on end, sedatives would have been extremely welcome." Oderyn grinned at the man. "Unfortunately we've been short on the flowers we use to make our sedatives. Had a few bad cycles for them."

"A few? Try ten. They've been scarce for a long time," Edrah clarified.

"Well, I'm sure we can trade for some medical supplies," Carson said. "But if you'll excuse me, I need to check on our patient."

"Oh! Of course!" Edrah pulled Oderyn aside to let Carson through. "What should we do now?" he asked the taller man as he crossed his arms.

"We could visit Dr. McKay?" Oderyn suggested.

"Ooh, that may not be the best idea," Daniel said, approaching the Ahyderians as he slid his hands into his pockets.

Edrah frowned. "Oh? Why not?"

"You heard how much he complains. It's about ten times worse when he's injured."

"Ah. Well, that may not be an entertaining way to spend the afternoon," Oderyn replied, pushing his hair off his face.

"Not so much."

"Well, what do _you_ suggest we do?" Edrah asked, quirking a brow at Daniel.

Daniel was about to open his mouth when the door to Colonel Sheppard's room opened.

"Well, he's awake. And says he's up for visitors," Carson said, standing in the doorway. "I suppose you can go see him, but do try to be quiet."

Agreeing with Dr. Beckett's terms, the three men went into the room. Colonel Sheppard was sitting up, drinking a glass of water. He looked extremely tired and uncomfortable.

"How're you feeling, Colonel?" Daniel asked, dropping into the chair by the bed.

"Like crap," he croaked. "But more like myself."

"It was pretty close, John," Edrah said, looking down at the man.

"That's what I hear. I don't remember much after we found that room under the throne," John said, speaking quietly to protect his sore throat. "So, I'm sorry if I said or did anything stupid."

"Your hair is fascinating, John," Oderyn commented, not listening to a word John had said.

"Uh, thanks?" John ran a hand through his freshly cut hair and looked down into his lap. "Why are you guys here, anyway? Not tryin' to sound rude or anything…"

"They came back with us," said Daniel.

"We wanted to stay until we knew if you were going to be okay," added Edrah.

"How long since we got back?"

"Two days."

John raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? What about Iyn? She looked like she was ready to explode."

Edrah and Oderyn laughed. "Oh, even if she does give birth while we're here, she'll be fine. She always says we're under foot anyway," said Oderyn.

"Once you witness as many births as we have, it really isn't all that interesting anymore," added Edrah.

"How many kids _do_ you have?" Daniel asked.

"I have six.," said Oderyn.

"Six as well," said Edrah. "This one is Oderyn's as far as we know."

John and Daniel exchanged a glance.

"But you're right. We should probably go home. We know you're okay and we have to take Nidrah to see my mother," sighed Edrah.

"I must have missed something…" John took another drink from his glass of water.

"Oh, Teyla agreed to have one of your ships take Nidrah to the city so she could meet her granddaughter," Edrah told him. "I hope that's okay?"

John nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. Get Major Lorne to take you. And take Teyla as well so we can start trading."

Daniel looked over at John. "I'm pretty sure if Dr. Weir were here, she'd tell you not to worry about that."

A smirk ghosted over John's features. "Yeah, well…"

"I suppose we should be on our way then. Was a pleasure meeting you, John. Feel free to visit us any time. Iyn would certainly appreciate it," Edrah said, leaning forward to shake John's hand.

"Once Carson gives me the all-clear I'll definitely drop in. Thank you for your help," John replied, shaking Oderyn's hand as well.

"Any time, John."

Daniel rose from his chair and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'll take them to Major Lorne. And I'll be sure to stop in once more before I head home myself."

John nodded. "Thanks, Jackson. Oh, one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"I'm betting Mednai came back with us, right?"

Daniel nodded.

"Don't tell him I'm awake just yet."

Edrah and Oderyn smirked as Daniel nodded. "No problem."

"Thanks. I'm not up for his enthusiasm just yet."

"I don't blame you," replied Daniel. "But he's wearing Dr. Beckett pretty thin."

"Better him than me."


	23. Epilogue

John set the Puddle Jumper down at the rear of the refurbished shopping center. It had been a month since the issue with the _Fvet'Ur_ and he finally felt like himself again. They had been keeping contact with the Ahyderians, sending out teams on a weekly basis to check on them. The villagers near the 'gate had been relocated to the city and the transition was going well.

Dr. Beckett had finally cleared John for 'gate travel and since he had been out of commission for almost an entire month, he decided to start his days back with a visit to the city. Major Lorne and Teyla volunteered to join him since Rodney was busy and Ronon managed to break his leg on another mission.

As they walked around to the front of the building, Teyla and Lorne greeted a few people, but no one looked twice at John. To them he was just another one of the travellers. He didn't really mind that no one recognized him, but it did feel a bit odd.

"Was I really that unrecognizable?" John asked as they passed one of the relocated villagers.

Teyla grinned at him. "Not to us, but these people have never seen what you really look like."

"Iyn's been asking about you, though," Lorne said, his ever-present smile in place.

"Well, let's stop in and say hello then." John smiled back at Lorne and led them into the building. Just like the last time he was here, the open area was filled with playing children and a few animals. Some of the men from the village were supervising the activities. John smiled at a few of them as he headed toward the room Edrah, Oderyn and Iyn shared.

When they reached the room, the hide that normally covered the doorway was pulled back so Iyn could keep an eye on Dyn, who was playing with a little boy. Teyla knocked on the door frame loud enough that it would be heard over the wailing of the two newborns in Iyn's arms. She looked up at the sound and gave them a tired smile.

"Teyla! So wonderful to see you again! And Evan as well," she said, looking from one to the other. Her eyes paused briefly on John and raised an eyebrow before turning back to Lorne. "Would you be a dear and hold Idnee for a bit? You seem to be able to calm her down."

"Sure thing." Lorne smiled as he let his P90 dangle from the clip on his vest and took the baby from Iyn. She quieted almost instantly.

"And Teyla, would you care to take Athan for a moment?"

"Of course." Teyla took the other child, leaving Iyn to stare up at John.

Propping her fists on her wide hips, a slow smile spread across her face. "John," she said simply.

"Hi," he answered, smiling back.

Reaching up, Iyn cupped John's cheeks and examined his face, rubbing her thumb over his perpetual stubble. "Hmm. I'm going to have to have a word with my boys about lying," she said.

"What do you mean?" John asked, letting her touch the spikes of his hair.

"They never told me how handsome you are!" she said with a grin. Holding onto John's arms, she leaned over, looking around him at Teyla. "Is he taken?"

Lorne tried to hide his amusement.

"Are you taken? Because I would gladly trade those two oafs for you!" Iyn grinned up at John as she spoke.

"Maybe you should make sure those two oafs aren't within earshot before you offer to get rid of them."

John glanced over his shoulder and saw Edrah and Oderyn standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hush! I guess if I can't get rid of the two of you, I'll just have to have John as well. You all get along, right? You could share. Would you like to be one of my husbands, John?" Iyn had a spark of amusement in her eyes.

"Uhh, I'm not really husband material," John answered.

"Believe me, neither are they. Your only job would be to look handsome!" she teased, patting his cheek.

"Run, John! While you still can!" Edrah said with a laugh.

John glanced from Teyla to Lorne, both of whom were pointedly ignoring him.

"I'm going to see how the villagers are doing," Lorne said, handing Idnee to Oderyn.

"I will accompany you," replied Teyla, handing Athan to Edrah.

"Hey, guys! Wait a second!" John looked over his shoulder as they left.

"Aw, even your friends have abandoned you. They know a hopeless situation when they see one," Oderyn laughed.

Iyn directed an almost evil smirk up at John.

John's face paled and he glanced in vain over his shoulder.

"You really are adorable. And if you were Ahyderian, you really would have something to worry about," Iyn chuckled, letting her fingers glide along John's jawline. "I'm glad you finally came to visit though. I was worried about you like you _were_ one of my boys."

"It's true," Edrah said, sitting gently on the couch as not to disturb the baby asleep in his arms. "If we didn't repeatedly reassure her you were fine, she would have used all our supplies making meals and clothes to send to you."

"And I want to thank you for one of our recent additions to our family," she continued with a soft smile.

John raised his eyebrows at her. "Um, I'm pretty sure I didn't have anything to do with that."

"No, not the twins," Iyn laughed. "Mednai."

"Ah, that makes more sense. How's he doing?"

"The way he and Dyn get along, you'd think they have always been together," Oderyn replied. "They're completely inseparable for the most part."

"He's such a good boy."

"Well, I'm glad to hear everything is working out then." John smiled.

"All thanks to you, John. If you and your friends hadn't come here in the first place, those poor men from the village would have been damned to die without ever knowing the truth. It's unfortunate that you had to suffer like that, but at least some good came of it," Edrah said to him, standing up again and extending a hand toward John.

John accepted the hand and gave it a firm shake. "Always happy to help."

"Speaking of help, there is one more thing you could do for us."

"Sure."

"Could you get Dr. McKay to finish reprogramming the tower? We've been told the Wraith have returned and we would be grateful to have that shield working."

John was a little surprised to hear Rodney had never completed the job, but he nodded. "I think we can manage that." With so few allies in this galaxy, he figured they could spare the time to get the EM shield working again. "Just make sure no one goes poking around in the meantime. The end result isn't a lot of fun."


End file.
